A MAN was airlifted to hospital after a heavy bag of compost fell on his head as he loaded the sacks at a factory.

A spokesman for Joseph Metcalfe Fertilisers, Oswaldtwistle, said the 26-year-old man suffered slight injuries and was discharged from Blackburn Royal Infirmary soon afterwards.

The spokesman, who refused to give his name or position in the company, said the man had been loading a stacking machine when another worker above him dropped the sack.

He said: "There was no need for the air ambulance. The individual was slightly injured and is now back home without any problems."

A spokesman for the ambulance service said the man heard something snap as the sack hit him, so the ambulance crew strapped him to a long board to keep his spine immobile.

The worker was airlifted to hospital because paramedics feared the long, bumpy journey from the Brookside Lane premises could cause spinal damage. Andy Wood, of the North West Air Ambulance, said the journey to Park Lee, Blackburn, took only four minutes, and the patient was then transferred by road to the accident and emergency department at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.