A MEMORIAL service to mark the 40th anniversary of the Hapton Valley pit disaster was attended by more than 100 people yesterday.

Friends and relatives of the 19 miners who were killed in the explosion on March 22, 1962, gathered at the memorial stone dedicated to them in Burnley Cemetery at noon.

Two of the youngest survivors, George Walsh and Brian Greenwood, remembered their colleagues as wreaths were laid by members of the community and the Mayor of Burnley, Councillor Jack Alston.

They were working at the face of the pit when disaster struck.

Mr Walsh, 61, of Rush Street, said: "I was one of the youngest who came out alive but I was burned all over and was in hospital for more than three weeks. Every year we have a good turnout at the memorial service which is nice."

Mr Greenwood, 60, of Coal Clough Lane, said: "It is nice to see old friends again. I had my face and hands burned but I do class myself as one of the lucky ones. George was fighting for his life."

Colleague John Pinder, 68, of Manchester Road, Hapton, was another of the 13 men injured in the explosion.

He said: "I think the turnout was good and shows that people still think about it and still remember the people who were killed. We don't ever want to forget what those lads went through.

"We were the lucky ones. I was burned from head to foot but they did a good job at the hospital and I've only two scars.

"We were close friends of the men who died. Hapton Valley was a very close community. We all knew each other and all pulled each other through. Everyone wanted to help one another.

"The disaster made people realise who they were, what sort of industry we worked in and what sort of people we worked with."

The service was led by Father John Haigh, of St Mark's Church, in Rossendale Road, during which the hymns The Lord's My Shepherd and Abide With Me were sung.

Fr Haigh said: "Since we last met 12 months ago Burnley has been in the news a lot and not for good things. It has been portrayed as an area of social exclusion, racial tension and breaking down of communities but today we celebrate Burnley as a community. A borough which nurtured these men who lost their lives.

"It's a place of good comradeship among miners and has a tradition of public service. Although there are no miners working in Burnley any more that great community spirit is what we need."

Bob Clark, a trustee of the Hapton Valley Disaster Fund and a member of the rescue team, said he was overwhelmed with the turnout. "It was an absolutely tremendous response to say it was 40 years ago. The mining community was such a close-knit community."