TWO schoolboys suffered serious burns when a firework exploded in their faces.

Friends Lee Cosgrove, of Spenser Grove, Great Harwood, and David Ackers, of James Avenue, Great Harwood, were today in the burns unit at The Royal Preston Hospital.

Both boys, aged 11, were said to be "comfortable" by hospital staff today.

The horrific accident happened yesterday afternoon on a field at the bottom of Wordsworth Drive.

Lee's mother, Mrs Maria Cosgrove, said: "The doctor said they were lucky that they did not blow their hands off and they were not blinded."

The parents of both boys are still unclear whether the injuries were caused by one firework or several piled together.

Mrs Cosgrove said: "All we know is two other boys got the fireworks from a pub. I don't know how.

"My son said there was no fuse so they emptied all the gunpowder out. "The two other boys lit the gunpowder and because it did not go off my son and David went over and it just exploded in their faces."

Mrs Cosgrove said: "Lee is lucky he is not dead."

Her son, who has blisters covering his face, may need a skin graft on one of his hands.

David's mum, Mrs Sharon Ackers, said: "David was in a lot of pain with his hands.

"All his face is red and his eyes are puffed up."

Mrs Ackers said she would be contacting the police to make inquiries into how the boys got hold of the fireworks.

David is a pupil at Norden High School.

Colin Willis, ambulance technician at Accrington Ambulance Station, said they were called to the incident at about 4pm.

He said: "We treated them at the scene for about quarter of an hour with saline and dressings and we managed to stabilise them.

"We transferred them to Blackburn Royal Infirmary and later we learned they had been taken to the burns unit at Royal Preston.

"Even their friends were horrified. The whole street was quite shocked. They were all around the ambulance."

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