A MAN is seriously ill in hospital following an incident at a travellers' camp in the yard of a footwear firm in Rawtenstall early today.

The injured man, who has not been named, was taken by ambulance from the site at J F Tomlinson (Footwear) Ltd in Bocholt Way to hospital at Bury.

He has since been transferred to Blackburn Royal Infirmary, where he is said to be very poorly.

Det Sgt Stuart Barlow said: "Our inquiries are at an early stage but there are suggestions that someone tried to scare them or get them off the land.

"There is also a suggestion that petrol was involved but I cannot confirm that.

"What I do know is that a man with very serious injuries was taken to hospital at 12.20am today. I cannot say at this stage how those injuries were caused. We are now carrying out an investigation into what happened." Tom Wright, one of the travellers, said: "I was asleep in my caravan when my missus woke me and said there were flames at the window.

"I rushed out and got a churn of water and threw it over the fire. There was a man running round. He had a can of petrol. He threw some petrol over the front of my van and started hitting it with a knife.

"There were women and children from the other caravans screaming their heads off."

Mr Wright, 56, said he had been at the site for three to four days and was on his way to a horse fair in Leeds.

"The man was banging a metal barrier at the entrance to the yard open and shut. I think he was bending down to pick up some matches when the gate hit him in the face. I didn't really see what happened."

Scenes of crime officers and detectives were at the camp, which had seven caravans and other vehicles, this morning gathering evidence and taking statements from witnesses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Rawtenstall CID on 01706 237442 or police at Burnley on 01282 425001.