A WORKER suffered serious burns and another man suffered blast injuries in an explosion at a factory.

The men were working on a machine at Barlo Radiators when it exploded yesterday lunchtime at the radiator manufacturing plant in Spinning Jenny Way, Leigh.

The first man had been facing the machine when it exploded. His body was set alight, causing severe burns. The second man was 10 feet away and suffered an arm injury and ear pain. They were taken to Wigan Infirmary.

The other employees were evacuated from the factory, where investigations into the blast are still under way.

Barlo's, one of Leigh's biggest employers, opened it's Spinning Jenny Way factory in 1989 and is currently the fourth largest manufacturer of domestic and commercial radiators in Europe. The company has other radiator producing plants in Ireland and Belgium.