Ambulance services were called to the same Midland rugby club three times within 50 minutes at the weekend.

In each case a 17-year-old player had to be taken to hospital for treatment. The injuries - none of which turned out to be serious - happened at Burntwood Rugby Club in Staffordshire on Saturday afternoon during a match between the club's under-17s Colts team and Burton Rugby Club.

The first call was at 3.45pm and came after a teenager sustained a back injury during the game. While the crew were dealing with him, they were made aware of second player who suffered a "traumatic" injury. Both patients were taken to Stafford District Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

Moments after those vehicles had left the club, a third call was received to the Emergency Operations Centre in Stafford at 4.34pm.

A third ambulance and rapid response vehicle were sent to the club to deal with another 17-year-old who had sustained a neck injury. He was stabilised using a neck collar and a spinal board before being taken to the same hospital.

Eric Stokes, director of rugby at Burntwood Rugby Club, said: "It's just one of those things. At the end of the day the welfare of the kids is paramount. It is a contact sport and these injuries do happen, particularly when it is windy. We just took a precaution."

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said: "It is undoubtedly unfortunate three got injured in the same afternoon at the same place and in such a short time scale."