A TEENAGER suffered burns to his head and left hand during a gas explosion in a Bolton flat today.

The 16-year-old was in the lounge of a ground floor maisonette in Milnthorpe Road when gas escaped from a butane gas cylinder that was in the room.

A lit gas fire, which was warming the room, ignited the escaped gas, causing an explosion that burned the teenager's face and left hand and blew out the front window just before 9am.

The teenager escaped by climbing out of the window and was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Station Officer Peter Jones, from Bolton Central fire station, said: "He looked quite severely burnt to his face and hand, although I do not think his injuries were life-threatening."

Neighbour Trevor Bryan told how the first he knew of the blast was when firemen and ambulances pulled up outside his home.

Mr Bryan, who lives above the ground floor flat involved in the explosion, said he heard no loud blast.

"I am amazed. The only thing I heard was something like furniture being moved around. I feel very lucky that the whole building didn't go up," he said.

No one needed to be evacuated and there was only minor damage to the privately-rented flat when the blast started a small fire on bedding lying on a settee.

Workmen from Transco spent the morning testing the flat and surrounding area for gas leaks.

The flat's owners, Prestwich-based property company Amco, were visiting the flat today to assess the damage.

A spokesman said they rented the flat to a young couple with a child in June this year, but neighbours say they have seen nobody in the premises recently.