THE contractors who coated hundreds of workers' cars with paint at BAE SYSTEMS' Samlesbury plant have accepted full responsibility for the accident.

And the management of Ballast Construction, which is building a new £11 million assembly plant for the world's most advanced strike fighter, assured workers their cars would be as good as new.

A spokesman said the company and its sub-contractors had assumed full responsibility for the incident and were working with BAE SYSTEMS to resolve the problem as efficiently and as effectively as possible.

More than 200 cars at the plant were coated in a specialist fire prevention paint when a sudden switch in the wind direction caught contractors unaware. They were giving steelwork for the new assembly plant for the Joint Strike Fighter a fire-proof coating and the specialist paint was blown over a nearby workers' car park.

Employees have been given vouchers to take to local car valeting specialists for a thorough wash and polish and BAE bosses have promised it won't cost them a penny.

A BAE spokesman said company experts had examined examples of the damaged cars and had concluded that a professional valet would solve the problem.