Video: Rocket man injured firing firework from his bottom

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The incident in Sunderland was captured by a gang of youths and the fuzzy mobile phone footage shows a blinding white flash followed by hysterical laughter and one youth shouting "ha ha ha ha that's f******* nice".

It is believed the 22-year-old had recently returned from a tour of Iraq. Witness Daniel Kassim, 16, said: "There were around 40 of us after the bonfire had finished. This lad was saying, 'This is boring, what can we do?' He then put a rocket up his backside and set light to it.

"Everyone was laughing and didn't believe he'd do it. He pulled his trousers down and it exploded within seconds.

"No one thought he was hurt. But then he stood up and walked a few metres before stumbling and falling to the ground. There was quite a bit of blood."

Safety campaigners say they have never come across such a bizarre incident but it is thought the squaddie could have been copying a scene from the controversial film Jackass: The Movie which shows a similar prank.

A spokeswoman for the North East Ambulance Service said: "We received a call stating there was a male who had a firework in his bottom and it was bleeding.

"He was attended to and taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital."

The victim is recovering at Sunderland Royal Hospital after sustaining horrific internal injuries including a scorched colon. Safety experts today warned that misusing the explosives in such a senseless way can have serious consequences.

Police and paramedics were called to the Dame Dorothy Street area of Monkwearmouth, in Sunderland, on Bonfire Night after reports of the stunt.

The prank, involving a Black Cat Thunderbolt Rocket, has left safety officers bemused. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said: "It's so unfortunate that someone is now paying the price for the misuse of fireworks.

"Let's not forget these are explosives. They come with specific instructions about how they should be used."

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said: "We were notified by the ambulance service and the 22-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment." The police are understood not to be carrying out further inquiries.

A spokesman for the Firework Association, said he had never heard of an incident like it in 45 years. He added: "This sort of thing is beyond belief. We have spent a long time working with the Government to create laws that make fireworks safer and better for the public. This incident is very concerning but hopefully an isolated one."