Pyrotechnics expert Stuart Orr has put the sparkle into the biggest names in pop music.

At his workshop on a West Sussex farm, he makes fireworks which are used to dazzle audiences at concerts.

The 49-year-old is responsible for special effects at top pop industry award shows, including the Brits and the MTV awards.

A sell-out concert this week in Manchester featuring the band S Club 7 will feature pyrotechnics which Stuart put together at his headquarters in Arundel.

Other successful bands which have used his pyrotechnics to fire a touch of glitter and sparkle into concerts include Westlife and Hear'Say.

But, as well as having a stunning impact, Stuart says safety is a priority.

He said: "They need to be of a very high quality because they are going off in quite close proximity to some very expensive artists.

"The thought of a spark popping on to, say, Mick Jagger is too horrible to even contemplate."

Stuart used to manufacture traditional fireworks such as rockets but says that side of the business has fizzled out.

He says the vast majority of fireworks used in Britain are made in China, where labour costs are much cheaper.

Stuart's pyrotechnics have been used at big corporate events to promote and to sell a vast array of products, from mobile phones to BMW cars.

Stuart said: "A typical example for the Brit awards would be a fast-burning silver jet producing silver sparks fired from fans at the front of the stage."

He says he is just the supplier and letting them off is down to someone else.

He said: "I suppose that, when I am in my workshop, one tends to lose sight of the fact that someone might find the work interesting.

"I do watch the Brits but the sad thing is that TV rarely shows the full extent and beauty of the effect which you would get if you were in the front of the audience."

Stuart began his career in pyrotechnics with a company in Surrey making products such as distress rockets for the armed forces and the marine industry.

He moved to Arundel to set up his one-man operation in 1990 and won planning permission to move to a larger workshop.