A workman was thrown into the air and engulfed in flames when he hit a 30,000-volt cable.

Dave Palfreman, 35, was working in Vine Street, Brighton, when he caught the electricity line with a jackhammer, sparking an explosion which sent a fireball into the air.

The father-of-two was left with burns and blisters and singed eyebrows and eyelashes but his fireproof overalls prevented more serious injury. The shock left holes in his blackened boots.

Dave was working on a water main when he struck the cable inches below the surface of the pavement.

He said: "I screamed in panic. As soon as I saw the flames and felt the pain I thought it was game over.

"Something just went bang and I was engulfed in flames, which must have shot six or seven feet into the air. It was like a flamethrower."

Dave, of Congreve Road, Worthing, said mechanics at a nearby garage rushed to help as he picked himself up, having been thrown almost 10ft by the blast. He said: "My hand was all black and I was shaking. I asked them to get me some water so I could put my hand in it."

Dave was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he was given a thorough medical examination, including heart checks. Staff were astonished he had not suffered more serious injuries and allowed him to go home after six hours.

It was the second brush with death for Dave in just over a year. Last March he was slashed across the throat outside the Yeoman pub in Palatine Road, Worthing, during a road rage attack.

He said: "They are calling me the cat with nine lives and my wife, Carole, has started calling me Felix."

Carole, 35, said: "It happened at 11am but he didn't phone me until 4pm because he didn't want me to panic. Dave always underplays everything anyway. It was just nice to hear his voice when he phoned."

When he got home, Dave gave his two children, Jamie, four, and Ricky, nine, an extra-big hug. He said: "I was very, very lucky. It could have been a lot worse."