A MAN who set himself on fire while destroying confidential letters has issued a warning to others about the dangers of naked flames.

Grave digger Peter Dawson, 51, said he felt "lucky to be alive" after his tracksuit trousers caught fire while he was burning the papers in a bin in his back yard, in Borough Road, Darwen.

And he revealed that it was the second time in two years that he had almost died in accidents.

Mr Dawson, who lives with his wife, Annette, and children Damian, 13, and Heidi, 18, had been drinking at the Sunnyhurst Pub before he decided to start the fire at 2am on Saturday.

He then fell asleep and a piece of burning wood fell out and set his tracksuit bottoms alight.

He said: "It doesn't take much to steal someone's identity and I'm wary about people who come around here looking in people's rubbish.

"A friend told me that some shredders do not stop people reading your details, so my brother gave me the bin to set the papers on fire.

"I fell asleep and, by the time I woke up, the bottom half of me, up to my waist, was on fire.

"I thought I was going to die.

"I was panicking and the tracksuit had started to melt and stick to my fingers as I was beating the flames.

"I used brute strength to rip the trousers off.

"I don't know where I got the strength from.

"Then I screamed to my wife to call for help.

"I was going to wear the tracksuit jacket too, and if I had, I probably wouldn't be here.

"What worries me is that this could happen to other people at barbecues."

He is currently in the skin clinic at the Royal Preston Hospital with burns to the back of his right calf, the back of his right knee, his left leg and fingers on both hands.

He is covered in painful blisters and his legs are wrapped in bandages.

He added: "I'm on that many tablets and pain-killers, I'm fed up.

"I keep sweating and getting hot. I'm in a lot of pain.

"They told me I'd only be in two days, but I have got an infection and I don't have a clue when I'll be home now."

In December 2006, Mr Dawson was knocked over by a car, in Bolton Road, and broke his leg, knee, smashed his face and it almost resulted in him losing an eye.

He said: "This is the second go at nearly getting killed.

"I sometimes think that nobody up there likes me."