One man has been killed and a further six have been injured in an explosion at a pie factory close to the town centre of Huddersfield.

The seven male employees were working in the factory at the time of the explosion. The man who died was pronounced dead at the scene, five others received minor injuries and one man, whose condition is critical, is still being treated in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

The explosion happened shortly after 5am on Friday at award winning Andrew Jones Pies and more than 40 firefighters from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene. The body of the deceased, David Cole from Halifax, had to be left in the building until a specialist team with cutting equipment arrived to make the building structurally safe following the collapse of the roof.

A representative from the fire service said that although the exact cause of the blast was unknown it is believed to have been gas-related and is not regarded as suspicious. However, joint inquiries carried out by police, the fire service and the Health and Safety Executive into the cause of the explosion are continuing.

Sales Manager Graham Easby said that the workforce were ‘close knit’ with many having started at the factory as apprentices. Colleagues were absolutely devastated by what had happened and their thoughts were with the families of those involved.

The company, which supplies butchers, farm shops, sandwich shops, supermarkets and other retailers with their award winning pies, are hoping to restart production in a factory in Brighouse that had been mothballed.