A BLACKBURN man was taken to hospital with burns to his face and arm after lighting a barbecue his friend had doused with petrol.

Firefighters said James McArthur, 40, was "lucky" to escape serious burns following the incident in the back garden of a home in Hereford Road, Blackburn.

They warned others not to mix petrol and barbecues.

John Wright, 38, who organised the barbecue, insisted he only sprinkled the equivalent of a "table spoon if that" of the highly flammable fluid onto charcoal in a bid to get it going.

But he vowed: "I will only use petrol on my garden tools from now on" after seeing his pal get hurt when he walked up to the barbecue and ignited it with a lighter on Saturday afternoon.

The flames shot up in the air catching Mr McArthur in the face and arm.

He spent the night at Royal Preston Hospital as a precaution but was expected to return to his home in Hythe Close, Blackburn, last night.

A relieved Mr Wright said: "We were in my garden and were doing some hedge cutting which is why the petrol was out.

"I thought as it was a nice day it would be a good idea to get a barbecue going so we could eat as we were working.

"I only sprinkled a bit of petrol on to the charcoal as it was a bit wet but it was just a touch - a table spoon if that.

"But as I went to get an extendable lighter to light it John went right up to the barbecue and lit it with a lighter and was stood right over it when it went up.

"He suffered burns to the top of his eyebrows and face and to his arm but they were just minor burns.

"When I went to visit him in hospital he was laughing about it but he has been lucky."

Watch manager John Leach said petrol had no place at barbecues. He added: "He suffered his burns after petrol had been put on the barbecue to get it going again.

"The injuries were not too serious but he was lucky they were not much worse.

"We would like to remind people that they should never put petrol on a barbecue."