A FIREMAN was taken to hospital after being been blown off his feet by the blast from an aerosol canister dumped in a skip that had been deliberately set alight.

The firefighter was thrown almost nine feet by the force of the blast after being called to the burning skip in Sturminster Newton on Sunday.

The explosion happened as the Sturminster crew member moved in to inspect the skip to find the best means of dousing the gathering blaze.

He was rushed to hospital for treatment to facial burns, suffered despite wearing full firefighting kit and a helmet.

The team of retained firefighters from the Bath Road station reached the scene within three minutes of the alert and quickly cordoned off the scene.

Powerful hoses were connected to a nearby water source, allowing the firefighters to douse the blaze from a safe distance.

The "roll on" skip contained a number of empty cylinders and one large aerosol which had caused the explosion.

Dorset's fire chiefs warned against the dangers of setting fire to the contents of skips in a bid to reduce the weight of the rubbish.

"This just illustrates the potential dangers of setting fire to any rubbish in any container, and the very real possibility of an explosion with serious consequences," said group manager Ben Ansell.

"Although we encourage people to dispose of aerosol and other similar cans in heavy-weight skips of this type, we strongly discourage users from setting fire to the rubbish to counteract its bulk," he added.