A 10-year-old boy has suffered "horrific" facial injuries after an industrial firework blew up in his face.

The boy suffered serious burns along with his 11-year-old friend, Dale Stephenson, from Prestwich, after playing with the firework in the street in Salford.

Fire crews were called to Cumbrae Gardens at around midday yesterday after reports that a firework had exploded in a child's face, a spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said.

The firework involved was an Onion Bomb, which is used in professional displays and not on general sale to the public.

Vicky Stephenson, Dale’s mother, said: "Dale was outside a shop doing penny for a guy with his mates when I went to the shops. Next thing I knew he was ringing me screaming, saying a firework exploded and he'd burnt his face.

"He was hysterical with the pain and they put him on morphine when we got to the hospital. He's lost his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes and got burns on his hands, his skin is peeling off.

"Fireworks should be banned. They need to stop coming into the country because they are just so dangerous."

Station Manager Dave Hughes said: "We were told they were holding an industrialfirework, another child lit it and it blew up in their face.

"An incident like this really brings home how dangerous fireworks are and it's heartbreaking for all those involved. We need to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."

He added: "We need parents to know where their children are and make sure they are not playing with fireworks.

"There are many organised events taking place in Greater Manchester this weekend, please enjoy fireworks safely by going to one of them."

The GMFRS spokeswoman said the boy had suffered "horrific injuries" and that his mother is "desperate" to ensure that other children do not suffer similar consequences.

An investigation is now under way to find out how the firework ended up in the community.

Area Manager Geoff Harris, Head of Protection at GMFRS, said: "We are extremely interested in how this firework ended up in a street where children were able to play with it.

"We need to take action and prevent further fireworks from getting into the wrong hands.

"They are not on general sale for a very good reason and we do not want anybody else getting injured."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.