MEDICS battled to reattach a man's arm after he lost three limbs in an industrial accident.

Paul Kelly, 47, of Farrington in Leyland, was airlifted to Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital following the accident at Tilemasters in Low Mill, Whittle-le-Woods, at 9.50am yesterday.

Police were called to the premises by paramedics following reports that a man was dragged into a 6ft mechanical mixer known as a hopper.

Incident manager Stuart Coates said officers at the scene reported that Mr Kelly's legs and arms had been trapped and severed by a blade in the machine.

He said he had lost one arm and one leg but medics were trying to reattach one arm.

Mr Kelly remains in the intensive care unit at the hospital, where his condition is described as stable.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said Mr Kelly had undergone surgery but they were not in a position to say whether his arm had been successfully reattached.

Emergency crew worked for more than 40 minutes to free the man from the machine.

A spokesman for Lancashire Air Ambulance said: "We were called out at 9.49am and arrived on the scene at 10.04am.

On arrival a land crew from Chorley was already on the scene and confirmed the Air Ambulance would be required due to the seriousness of the patient's injuries."

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said yesterday that they had been out to the premises at Tile Master Adhesives and an investigation had been launched.

He said: "It appears the chap was dragged into a mixing machine which was 6ft long and had paddles going around in it.

"He suffered appalling injuries but he was a self-employed man and it appears that he was the only person in the premises so we are assuming there were no witnesses."

Lancashire Force Incident manager Steff Carroll said: "Mr Kelly was working on his own in the unit and was loading a large mechanical mixer known as a hopper with cement powder and for some reason yet to be established somehow the machine worked while he was inside."

Taxi driver at Clayton and Whittle taxis based on the industrial premises Thomas Orritt said he believed that a delivery driver had discovered Mr Kelly.

A worker at a spray paint firm also on the site that Mr Kelly had been on the industrial site for over six years and had just moved to a new unit before Christmas. He said: "This is very unfortunate, he was a nice enough bloke and very easy going."