TWO children were rescued from a house fire in Bacup by a hero neighbour -- who has already been commended for saving a family earlier this year.

Quick-thinking Nigel Clegg, 44, of Stanley Street, sprang into action to save the youngsters who had climbed through a skylight and onto a roof of the house in Gordon Street, Bacup.

Fire crews were called to the house at just after 8am today to find the house ablaze.

Earlier this year Nigel used ladders to climb on to the roof of a terrace house in Abbey Street to pull the group of five to safety.

Celia Lynch, 24, baby Jim, 2, and friends Vicky Ticehurst, 15, PJ Goodwin, 6, and Aaron Goodwin, 12 months, were asleep in the house when a blaze broke out in the kitchen.

They were woken by the sound of baby Jim's screams to a smoke-filled house and managed to clamber through a sky-light on to the roof.

Mr Clegg then carried the group one one by one to the safety of the ground below.

All five were unhurt.

Father-of-five Mr Clegg, who works as a handyman in the Bacup and Rawtenstall area, said: "I'm not a hero, I just acted on instinct.

"I didn't have time to think about what I was doing I just grabbed the ladders and got them down.

"If I hadn't had the ladders I would have broken the door down to get to them.

"When there are kids involved you do everything you can to keep them safe."

Mr Clegg is married to Beverley, 40, and who has five children, John Paul, 22, Lee, 20, Nigel, 15, Sarah, 13, and Michael, 12.