A GAS explosion at a house has left one man in hospital receiving treatment for burns.

The incident happened at a property in Garden Street in Padiham at around 9.15am.

The rear of the house suffered structural damaged and a neighbouring property had to be evacuated as a precaution.

A safety cordon was put in place and building control was requested to assess the building.

Investigations are ongoing to find out the cause of the explosion.

Neighbour Aidan Forrest rushed out to help the injured man, thought to be in his 40s, following the explosion.

The 27-year-old said: "The first thing I heard was just this loud bang.

"I thought it was a car crashing.

"Then I looked out of the window and all I could see at first was smoke.

"The back end of the house was just blown out.

"Then I saw the man just walking out his house, his t-shirt and hair were singed by fire."

The neighbour then helped look after the man while the emergency services arrived.

Firefighters said one person had to be taken to Royal Preston Hospital to receive treatment following the explosion.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue said: “We were called to a gas explosion at a domestic property in Padiham.

“There was one casualty at the incident who was taken to hospital via ambulance after receiving burns.”

Gas and electrical engineers were requested at the house to isolate the utilities and work has been carried out on footpaths outside.

Police were also in attendance to help manage the area and keep it safe and a cordon was placed outside the affected properties.

Fire crews from Burnley and Hyndburn attended along with the Urban Search and Rescue team from Bamber Bridge and Chorley.

The house is owned by Burnley housing group Calico.

A spokesman for Calico said: "We are responding to an explosion at a property on Garden Street, Padiham. Fire crews and Police have attended the situation.

"Our first priority is the safety of our residents. We have been in touch with residents who have been immediately affected by the incident, and we are aiding the emergency services with their enquiries."

Members of staff from Cadent gas network were in attendance to carry out repairs and work out what caused the explosion.

Staff said investigations were still ongoing to discover the cause.