Staff from Tendring District Council have been praised for aiding a holidaymaker who was injured when a gas bottle exploded at a beach hut in Frinton.

The 70-year-old, who received burns to his face and arm, had hired the hut with his family for the Bank Holiday.

It appears that a disposable barbecue caused a leak of fumes from the bottle to ignite and a fireball launched the gas bottle out of the hut and onto the Lower Promenade.

Luckily, it burnt itself out within seconds but the man was left with burns to his lower arms and face following the incident at 1.30pm on Sunday May 26.

The hut was next to Tendring’s beach patrol house and staff attended to the man before the ambulance arrived and took him to Colchester General Hospital.

Two fire crews from Frinton also attended to ensure the fire was out.

Seafront rangers Michelle Perry and Andrew Dawkins attended to the man until the ambulance arrived while beach patroller Steve Cantrell and parking and community supervisor Mick Simpson dealt with controlling the traffic and crowd safety on the promenade when the ambulance and fire service attended.

Nick Turner, Tendring’s cabinet member for environment and coast protection, praised all the staff involved.

“They all did a first class job in looking after this man in what must have been a very frightening incident for him and his family,” he said.

“We also wish the gentleman with the burns a very speedy recovery.”