A THREE-YEAR-OLD girl was taken to hospital after a slate fell from the roof of a Weymouth hotel and struck her on the head.

The young girl had just finished a swimming lesson at Moonfleet Manor and was walking down the path holding her father's hand when she was hit by the falling slate.

At 10.55am on Thursday, June 13 a member of the hotel staff was alerted to the terrible accident and the duty manager, who is a trained first aider, immediately went to the scene and administered first aid.

The hotel team also called an ambulance and the girl and her parent were taken to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester and its teams have taken over care of the child.

It is understood the girl had to have an operation after suffering a fractured skull.

The girl's father posted on Facebook following the incident to warn other parents. He said: "I hate that I have to put this up but I truly felt like I would lose my three-year-old yesterday.

"We came out of swimming yesterday morning and a large piece of slate fell from the top of the scaffolding they have surrounding the hotel.

"Her skull is fractured [and] she's been in theatre, as a family we are really struggling comprehending this freak accident, but I would hate any other parents to go through what we are now."

Moonfleet Manor has been undergoing a new roof replacement since February and has scaffolding up but, according to an anonymous source, there were no signs to warn the public.

Our source said: "Today the staff has been told to silence any rumours and not to inform anybody of what happened and the hotel has been placing barriers around the scaffolding."

The hotel has released a statement in which it said: "We are deeply shocked about the incident and wish to send our sincere and heartfelt best wishes for a speedy recovery to the child and their family as we know this is a distressing time for them all.

"We can also confirm that as soon as we were informed about the accident, the hotel management instructed the onsite contractors (Rocare Building Services) to immediately stop work, ensuring that the construction site was safe and secure.

"Work remains on hold pending a full assessment of the site by the appropriate authorities."

The contractors released the following statement: "We are deeply shocked about this freak incident and wish to send our sincere and heartfelt best wishes for a speedy recovery to the child and their family during this distressing time.

"A full investigation is in progress."