Kyle Foster was on the saddle of the 50cc bike as his older brother was preparing to ride it on a playing field near Tarleton Holy Trinity Church.

The throttle was twisted and the bike travelled about 30m with the toddler still seated, before it hit a steel storage shed.

Kyle was taken to Ormskirk Hospital with serious head injuries.

'Lucky to be alive'

Kyle's father, Paul, 37, was supervising the two-year-old and his two brothers on the playing field when the accident happened.

Mr Foster was at his son's hospital bedside on Wednesday with wife Caroline.

Mrs Foster said: "Kyle is getting better. He is still in hospital but he is going to be fine. We are very relieved and just want him to recover."

A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said Kyle was lucky to be alive and described his injuries as serious.

She said the boy touched the throttle causing the bike to speed off.

"He wouldn't have had a clue what to do and the bike crashed into the shed. He is lucky he did not die," she added.

Roger Vincent, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said his organisation had growing concerns over the safety of mini-motorcycles.