Man in critical condition after chemical leak at factory

A chemical leak at a factory in the north-west of England has resulted in a man being left in a critical condition.

The male member of staff at the SAFC factory on Dock Road South in Bromborough suffered extensive burns to his face when a solvent ignited at the plant, reports the Wirral News.

An investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the local police force.

The HSE is the industry watchdog for the safety of staff at workplaces including factories, mines, farms and building sites.

Operations manager Martin Skitt stated it is believed the incident occurred when two litres of an unknown solvent was released and ignited.

"The solvent ignited for reasons that we are trying to determine. We know the constituents of the chemical but not the composition and the ratio of the constituent parts," he said, adding there were no other injuries and no environmental impact from the leak.