Police are investigating after an eight-year-old schoolboy lost a testicle after bullies kicked him between the legs on his birthday.

James Fletcher was rushed to hospital and needed emergency surgery after his parents found him writhing in pain because he had been too embarrassed to tell anyone what had happened.

Mother and father Anne-Marie and Daniel Fletcher were outraged and immediately tried to pull him out of Landau Forte Academy Moorhead, Alvaston, Derby.

But brave James, who was set upon during break-time, has vowed not to be beaten by bullies and has returned to school.

'I feel sad about what happened but I wanted to go back to school,' the schoolboy said.

Surgeons had to rush to save James' other testicle after it was damaged by the kick on his eighth birthday on October 18.

His parents have now spoken to both the school and the police, with both having launched investigations.

But almost a month after the attack, nothing has been done, insists his mother.

Mrs Fletcher, 28, said: 'I feel angry and annoyed that whoever did this has not been dealt with yet.

'I wanted to take James out of the school while the investigation took place and I looked at putting him in another school.

'But James turned to me and his dad and said 'No-one is scaring me. I want to go back to school' which I thought showed amazing bravery on his part after all he has been through.'

James was playing with a friend when he said he was approached by a boy who kicked him between the legs.

He carried on his day in agony, even refusing to tell his parents until 2am the following day when they heard him screaming in pain.

His parents, who also have sons Daniel, 11 and Joshua, 14 months, rushed him to the nearest NHS walk-in centre and medics referred him to the Royal Derby Hospital, where he underwent a scan.

Mrs Fletcher added: 'It revealed that one of his testicles was hugely swollen.

'He had keyhole surgery to remove one of them as doctors told us it had died and the other one had to be repaired.'

James' father Daniel, 31, a burglar alarm engineer, said his was making an excellent recovery but that he was worried how his son might be affected in the future.

'The injuries were horrific and only time will tell what the future brings for him. We just don't know,' he said.

'We want something done with the lad that did this because not only has he caused this to our son - but what if he feels he has the right to do this to other children at the school?

'Their injuries might be even worse than the one James has suffered.'

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said the incident had been reported to them.

The spokesman said: 'Officers have spoken to the alleged victim and to the school and the investigation is on-going.'

Sally Greenbank, principal for the juniors site of Landau Forte Academy Moorhead, said: 'A full internal investigation has been conducted and the appropriate authorities informed'.

Yesterday an inquest heard how a 14-year-old boy who dyed his hair brown in an effort to stop bullies attacking him for being ginger was found hanged by his father.

Simon Walters - who was a pupil at Heath Park School in Wolverhampton, West Midlands - was discovered dead in his bedroom by his 42-year-old father Nigel, with whom he lived alone.