THE threat of anthrax has given a local firm an unexpected role after an American broadcasting company placed an order for a hi-tech isolation chamber.

Mach-Aire, in Crown Lane, Horwich, has received the order from CNN for its staff who open letters in the agency's busy London-based newsroom.

And the US embassy in Dublin has also made inquiries about the specialist £3,000 unit.

The small, clear boxes will offer protection to people who open letters in the wake of the recent anthrax attacks in America.

The Horwich firm normally supplies the clear boxes to hospitals and laboratories, protecting staff from airborne contamination.

Steve Crane, of Mach-Aire, said: "It is a rare product. We just got a telephone call out of the blue from the broadcasting company asking about our fume cabinets.

"It is an unexpected application that these units offer protection against anthrax -- I think quite a few more will be required and we can see possibilities for a demand in the future.

"We look at this as Mach-Aire providing a vital service."

The Horwich firm, which employs 50 people, has been making the product for the last four years and specialises in producing "safe air" products for the medical profession and research industry.

The boxes are unusual due to their small size. Letters are opened inside by someone wearing gloves and the air inside the unit is highly filtered to prevent deadly contamination.