A promising young athlete who broke a bone during a national competition fears his sporting future may be in jeopardy because doctors failed to properly diagnose the injury.

Ashley Bull, 15, was competing in the national long jump championships last year when he pulled a hamstring and broke part of his pelvic bone.

He and his parents, Dawn, 39, and Roger, 41, of Fairspear Road, Leafield, near Witney, fear the injury may have deteriorated after doctors at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, Oxford, gave him the all clear to start training again.

A spokesman for the JR has apologised and said the injury had been difficult to diagnose.

Ashley is waiting for an operation to rectify the problem.

He said: "I can't do any sport at all. My injury has just stopped me from doing it, because it's so painful.

"I'm worried I could have damaged myself even more because doctors told me it had healed. I could have damaged it beyond repair."

In July last year, Ashley was injured competing in the English Schools Championships, in Exeter. He was referred to the JR fracture clinic, where he was told to rest and wait for the bone to heal itself. In September, doctors said the bone had healed and he could start training.

But in March, after he had competed in two events, new hospital scans showed the injury was still there.

Ashley said: "It's ruined my social life, I can't do things with my friends, and my school work is suffering."

A JR spokesman said: "We'd hoped to undertake Ashley's operation in September and have apologised to the family for the delay. We're looking at all options to ensure Ashley's operation is carried out as soon as possible."