INVESTIGATIONS are continuing into a town centre factory explosion that left one worker seriously burned and a second with hearing problems.

The injured men were working on a machine at Barlo Radiator manufacturers in Leigh, when the blast caused severe burns to a 29-year-old employee and deafened another.

The accident happened at lunchtime last Thursday at the factory alongside Spinning Jenny Way, Leigh.

The first man had been facing the machine when it exploded. His whole body was engulfed by flames causing severe burns. The second employee was 10 feet from the machine at the time and complained of extreme ear pain after the blast and was also treated for arm injuries.

Both men were initially treated at the scene by on-site first aiders, then firefighters took over until an ambulance arrived which took them to Wigan Infirmary. The remaining employees were evacuated from the single-storey building, where investigations are still underway into the cause of the blast.

A spokeman for Barlo said: "It was an unfortunate incident which is being fully investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and with their approval we are now back in full production. Our main concern is for the people injured in the accident."

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