A HOME-made explosive device which was set off in a Burnley subway has been sent to a specialist Army centre in the South of England for examination.

The device described as resembling a tea caddy is said to have "baffled" North West army bomb squad members who travelled to Burnley and spent much of yesterday carrying out an examination.

A loud explosion alarmed residents in the Gannow Lane area of Burnley and shook ornaments at the nearest houses in Keith Street.

The device was set off in a subway under the Gannow roundabout near to the slip roads to the M65 at junction 10.

Ten calls were made to police and the fire and rescue service just before 10pm on Wednesday. They found a metal container described as about the size of a tea caddy. It had been taped up with some kind of wick through a hole drilled in the lid. At first it was thought children might have been involved. That has now been discounted and police have released scant details of two men they want to interview. They were seen running down Gannow Lane towards Gannow Holdings.

They are described as white, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 10ins tall, late teens or early 20s. One has short blond hair and the other short, dark hair.

DC Dave Webster said the device went off with a tremendous bang followed by plumes of white smoke. He revealed that the device contained substances thought to be from an industrial size firework, probably the same sort of thing which resulted in the death of a young man in the town last year at Duke Bar.

He said: "Someone has gone to considerable trouble to construct this thing. It has obviously been modified.

"These things are not designed to be tampered with and should be used only by professionals."

DC Walker added: "If someone had been walking through the subway at the time it went off it could have caused considerable injury."

He appealed for anyone with information to come forward and especially the two men.

He said: "It may have been just a prank, if not we don't know what it could have been."

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Walker on 01282 472143 or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.