The boy suffered severe head injuries after leaping into the pool below the waterfall on Sunday afternoon. 

When firefighters dragged him out he was unconscious and had stopped breathing. 

Emergency services were called shortly after midday by horrified friends who watched the boy strike rocks as he jumped into the pool at Tinker Bridge in Keighley, West Yorks. Paramedics managed to restart his heart before he was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by Air Ambulance.

The boy, who lives near Tinker Bridge but has not been named, was described by the hospital as “very poorly”. His family were by his bedside last night.

The waterfall is often used for tombstone-style jumps, despite warnings by the local council. Tombstoning – so named because the jumper attempts to enter the water upright like a tombstone – is a high-risk sport, not least because of the impact as the body hits the water. 

Strong currents can prevent the jumper from resurfacing and there is also a high risk of landing on sharp rocks or other submerged objects. 

In the past eight years tombstoning has claimed the lives of 20 people and left more than 60 seriously injured, according to figures from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.