AN anti-EU anarchist group from Italy is believed to be behind the parcel bomb which blew up at the Radcliffe headquarters of MEP Gary Titley.

He was the latest high profile Euro politician to be sent an incendiary device, although it was his wife Charo who opened the package.

She suffered slight hand burns but miraculously escaped serious injury when the parcel exploded on Monday at the office in Spring Lane. Mrs Titley said the bomb came in a padded envelope, which she first thought contained a video or hardback book.

"Soon after I opened it, thick grey smoke started to come from it," she said. "It then it gave a spark and burst into flames.

"It was horrible, and frightening -- I was shaking like a leaf. I didn't really understand what was happening. But I remember that the first line of the address on the parcel was written to Gary in Italian."

Mrs Titley, who works as her husband's secretary, and political organiser Roger Fellows quickly put out the fire, which scorched a desk and part of the carpet.

"The smoke was so thick that we could hardly see each other," she said.

Mr Titley, who defends his north west seat in June's Euro elections, was at home preparing to fly out to Brussels, but raced to Radcliffe when his wife phoned with the news.

"I was horrified," he said. "It's a fine state of affairs when people cannot go about their daily lives without this sort of thing happening."

He added: "Charo is fine, although she's taken some time off. She keeps thinking about what could have happened, but she's pretty tough -- she was insistent that I should go to Brussels and carry on business as normal. You cannot allow these people to knock you out of gear. The best way is to carry on."

Several top MEPs have recently been sent letter bombs, along with European Commission president Romano Prodi and several EU institutions. Mr Titley is leader of Britain's Labour group in the Euro Parliament, and has played a major role in bringing in other countries to the EU.

Mr Fellows said that the office's mail had been held by the Post Office over Christmas and delivered on Monday.

"We were a bit shaken up," he said. "I heard Charo shouting and screaming, there were flames everywhere. It was a miracle that she wasn't injured. But at least we're OK."

Crime scene investigators spent the day at the Radcliffe office, gathering the remains of the package to assist the on-going police investigation.

Detective Inspector Simon Collier from Whitefield CID said: "Although the package ignited, the prompt and calm action of the staff at Mr Titley's office resulted in the fire being extinguished quickly.

"The package and contents have been recovered and a detailed forensic examination is now taking place to establish exactly what caused the fire.

"The package did have potential to cause injury and serious damage. Fortunately no one was injured, although everyone was clearly quite shocked.

"Mr Titley has been kept updated on the progress of the investigation and it is believed he has been targeted because he is the leader of the UK members of the Labour members of the European Parliament. The Royal Mail and other MEPs have also been informed."

DI Collier added: "It is extremely rare for this type of attack to take place. Mr Titley is a high profile figure in Europe and his constituency office is an address of public record. Members of the public should be reassured that they are not at risk from this type of incident.

"If anyone does have concerns regarding packages they believe are suspicious, please contact the police."