A DAD has said he is “lucky to be alive” after an e-cigarette exploded in his pocket and set fire to his clothing.

Nathan Davies, of Derwen Way, Abergavenny, said he was driving to the tip in Llanfoist with a friend last week when the e-cigarette caught fire in his pocket, causing his tracksuit bottoms to go up in flames last week.

Mr Davies said: “It went off like a rocket. It just blew up, I haven’t got a clue why.

“It was horrid. I have never experienced pain like that in my life.”

Mr Davies’s friend rushed him to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, while Mr Davies attempted to extinguish the fire with his hands.

He has now been transferred to the burns unit of Morriston Hospital in Swansea, where he remains, receiving ongoing treatment for burns to his leg and hands.

“My hand is still in a bag,” added Mr Davies.

“The doctors have had to remove a lot of skin because it is oozing fluid.”

The 40-year-old said he has been using e-cigarettes for around two years, as he wanted to give up smoking for his children.

But he now wants to warn other people about their dangers. “I will not be using them again,” added the dad-of-two.

“I feel I am lucky to be alive.”

He also said he thinks fire resulted from the battery of the e-cigarette.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has also warned users about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

Users are advised never to keep e-cigarette batteries in their pockets, particularly next to keys and coins.

Group manager Matt Jones, head of the fire crime unit, said: “South Wales Fire and Rescue Service encourages users to purchase their chosen product from a reputable dealer and to read the advice given on the safety leaflet provided.”

For more safety advice, visit electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk