A neighbourhood was in mourning yesterday for a 10-year-old boy who died in an accident at his home.

Jay Mullen, of Uddingston, Lanarkshire, was found by his parents hanging from the cord of a window blind in his bedroom on Tuesday evening.

He is thought to have become entangled in the cord while playing.

His parents, Robert and Carol-Anne, both 31, found him dying and tried in vain to resuscitate him as they phoned for an ambulance. Paramedics continued the attempts to save him but Jay was dead on arrival at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie.

Strathclyde Police launched an investigation after sealing off the semi-detached home in North Calder Road, Viewpark. A post-mortem examination is to be carried out.

His parents were too distressed to talk about the accident yesterday and along with their three other children were being comforted by relatives.

Neighbours in the community and staff at Jay's school, John Paul II Primary, said they were stunned by the accident.

Margaret McIvor, 62, said: "It is terrible for a child so young to die like that. It's so sad. He was friends with my granddaughter and they would play together in the street. He loved playing and was always on his bike or playing chase. He was very outgoing and was such a nice boy."

Lynn McKinlay, 22, said: "He was a lovely wee boy and was always running about. I would always see him out playing and he would always speak. His poor parents must be traumatised and in pain and shock. They are a lovely couple and I feel so sorry for them."

Friends and classmates were also shocked by Jay's sudden death and education chiefs installed a support network for pupils and staff.

Marian Di Nardo, headteacher of John Paul II Primary, described Jay as a caring boy who would be deeply missed.

She said he had been heavily involved in school life and helped stamp out bullying by becoming a mentor to younger pupils.

She added: "Everyone in John Paul II Primary is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the death of one of our pupils. It is obviously difficult to come to terms with the death of a child and the school is being well supported through the council's critical incident procedures.

"Jay was an extremely happy, committed and caring pupil who was involved in a number of school activities, including being a buddy in our playground squad, which supports our younger pupils."

She added: "We will miss him as a lovely child and as a member of our school community. Our thoughts and prayers are very much with Jay's family at this time as they try to deal with this tragedy."

A police spokesman said: "A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the cause of death and our inquiries are continuing."