A YOUNG woman was recovering in hospital today after being impaled on railings in Hereford city centre.

The victim was carried to hospital with the arrowhead railings still embedded in her foot and lower torso after the accident at 3am.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, which happened outside a house near Hereford United's Edgar street ground.

A team of firefighters, ambulance and police was called to the scene in Blackfriars Street after the alarm was raised.

Sub Officer Neil Piggott, of Hereford Fire Brigade, said it was not yet clear how the incident happened.

He said the woman appeared to have fallen from the first-floor window of the Victorian-style house, but did not know if she was a resident.

"We don't know how long she'd been there when we arrived, but she was still conscious," he said.

"We had to cut the railings away very carefully with instructions from the ambulance crews.

"It was a case of reassuring her all the time and being careful. We then accompanied her to the hospital and there was effectively a second operation, where we continued cutting. I understand it was successful.

"At this stage, there's no indication of how it happened. We don't know if she fell or was pushed."

A Hereford police spokeswoman said an investigation was underway, but was unable to give any further details about the accident or the victim's condition.