A construction worker was knocked out cold when a metal entrance gate collapsed outside The Mall shopping centre in Blackburn yesterday.

Paramedics and police attended the scene at the corner of Church Street and Railway Road around 10.15am and discovered the man unconscious but breathing next to the large gate.

He was fitting and was covered in a blanket before he was lifted by stretcher into an ambulance and taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital for treatment.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

And the man was later released from hospital with only cuts and bruises.

Shoppers and builders work-ing on the shopping centre redevelopment stopped to watch the incident as Taylor Woodrow and Vinci Constru-ction managers assessed the scene at the vehicle entrance.

One worker said: “It looks like the gate has come off its hinges and fallen on him.

“I hope he is okay.”

Melanie Mathews, head of corporate communications at Vinci PLC, said: “One of the employees was opening the gate to allow a vehicle through to take a delivery and the gate has come off its hinges.

“He is in hospital and we are looking into how it happened.”

The incident will now be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A HSE spokesman said: “The HSE is aware of the incident and are awaiting more inform-ation.”