THE wife of Euro MP Gary Titley has revealed how she was lucky to escape with her life when a parcel bomb sent to her husband burst into flames in her hands.

Charo Titley opened the parcel seconds before it exploded in flames in the MEP's office in Spring Lane, Radcliffe.

Mrs Titley, who suffered minor burns to her hands, said: "It was horrible, and frightening -- I was shaking like a leaf."

The fire bomb, believed to have been sent by Italian anarchists in Bologna, sent flames three feet into the air and thick smoke engulfed the office.

Mr Titley's political organiser, Roger Fellows, was also lucky to have escaped uninjured when the device exploded.

The bomb was one of a number sent to European Union figures over the past few days. Security at the European parliament itself was also being stepped up.

Mrs Titley, who is her husband's secretary, said: "Soon after I opened it, I noticed thick grey smoke. I threw it across the room and called Roger as it gave off sparks and burst into flames.

"We got some water from the kitchen and stamped on it to put out the fire, but the smoke was so thick that we could hardly see each other."

Mrs Titley added: "I didn't really understand what was happening."

She said the bomb arrived at her husband's office in a padded envelope, which she first thought contained a video or a hardback book.

Police were called to the office at 11.30am on Monday morning after the explosion.

Mr Titley is leader of the British Labour Party in the Brussels-based European Parliament. He was not at the office at the time of the explosion.

Despite the incident, he vowed business would continue "as usual".

Mr Titley said: "No-one was hurt, thankfully. The only response is not to be deterred, but I was frightened."

Mr Titley is the latest high-profile EU figure to be targeted in a string of recent mail attacks that have included European Commission president Romano Prodi.

On Monday a number of suspected letter bombs were delivered to the European Parliament.

One device exploded when it was opened by a secretary working for Hans-Gert Poettering, German leader of the Centre-Right European People's Party in the parliament. Nobody was hurt.

Mr Titley said: "We have decided that the best response to this attack would be business as usual. I haven't had the chance to talk to any of the other MEPs so far, but mine was by far the worst attack in the sense that it exploded.

"We seem to have a group of people who are determined to hijack democracy."

Security experts on the continent suspect an Italian anarchist group against the EU's expansion, the euro, and further European integration is behind the bomb.

David Sumberg, Conservative North-west MEP, said his colleagues were operating under a state of heightened alert both at home and abroad.

He said: "I am relived that no-one was injured but what happened to Gary in his office is appalling."