An office worker had his hair singed when he poked a small balloon full of hydrogen with scissors and it burst into flames.

CCTV cameras captured the freak incident inside the workplace in Changsha, in Hunan Province, southern China, shortly before midnight on November 29.

The man, surnamed Xia, told local media he had bought the hydrogen balloon for his children to play with.

After they had their fun with it, they left the balloon with Xia and he decided to dispose of it by popping it with scissors.

However, as he stuck the sharp end of the scissors into the inflated item full of flammable gas inside, flames suddenly spurted out and set fire to his facial hair.

He immediately jumped up and backed away, then patted his face with his hand to put out the fire.

As a result of the incident, Xia said part of his eyebrows, eyelashes, and some of his hairline were burned off.

He said he felt very frightened and was thankful that it was him, and not a child who suffered the accident.

Xia said: 'I've come to fear hydrogen balloons since then.

'I hope my experience can draw everyone's attention to the safety risks children's toys can pose.'

Hydrogen is sometimes used to fill up balloons as it makes them fly higher and further than helium. However, as it is flammable, it can pose a risk of explosion and fire when mixed with the oxygen we breathe.