AN engineering contractor and his son escaped serious injury yesterday after a giant water storage tank on which they were working exploded at a whisky distillery.

Mr Tommy Shanks, 51, and his 17-year-old son, David, were repairing a leak in the 30ft high outdoor container when it ruptured and sent 100,000 gallons of water cascading into a loading bay.

The surge of water was so strong a blue Vauxhall car was lifted off the ground and forced through a wall at the William Lawson Distillery in Main Street, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

A pump house directly opposite the shattered tank caved in when it was hit by the deluge and towering stacks of green bottles smashed to the ground and were swept away. The tank, which held water supplies for the distillery's emergency sprinkler system, was reduced to a tangled mass of flattened metal.

Mr Shanks, who runs Thomas Shanks Engineering in Greengairs, and his son were thought to have been carrying out welding work when the incident occurred shortly after 9am.

They were pulled from the rubble by emergency workers and taken by ambulance to Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, where they were found to have just minor injuries. Four members of the distillery's workforce were treated at hospital for severe shock.

Advisors from Strathclyde Fire Brigade's technical support team were called in to establish there was no risk of explosion from a build-up of whisky fumes.

Strathclyde ambulanceman Dennis Atkins said that when three crews arrived at the plant shortly after the explosion they were confronted with a ''scene of absolute devastation''.

Ms Alena Geddes, 74, whose flat overlooks the factory, said: ''I was sitting in my lounge when I heard a big bang. I thought it was a crash or a bomb.''

Ms Jeanette McGuire, of nearby Albion Court, said: ''The blast was so big it shook the whole house.''

Mr Shanks's brother, William, whose own construction company also carries out building and maintenance work at the distillery, said: ''We are a close family and this has upset us a lot. Tom's wife Iris is down at the hospital with them. They are conscious and talking and we have been told their injuries are not life threatening. When you see the devastation, though, it is obvious they could have been killed.''

As Health and Safety Executive officers launched an investigation, senior managers at William Lawson said the firm would remain closed for the time being.

Speaking outside the gates of the company, which has operated on the site without serious incident since 1967, company secretary Alan McLauchlan said: ''We are not quite sure at this stage exactly what happened. The staff were evacuated. We have an emergency procedure which we followed and there were no injuries to our staff.''

Managing director Arnaldo Zannoni said at this stage they could not estimate the cost of the damage but added: ''The important thing is the people. We are pleased there are no serious injuries.''