A QUICK-thinking neighbour was praised after risking his life to rescue a group of people from a blazing house in Bacup today.

Nigel Clegg used ladders to climb on to the roof of the terrace house in Abbey Street to pull the group of five to safety.

Celia Lynch, 24, baby Jim, two, and friends Vicky Ticehurst, 15, PJ Goodwin, six, and Aaron Goodwin, 12 months, were asleep in the house when a blaze broke out in the kitchen at 5am today.

They were named 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.

Today Celia's husband, Chris Lynch, 32, of Albert Street, Bacup, paid tribute to the man who saved his young family's life.

He said: "It's lucky Nigel was there or I dread to think what might have happened.

"I can't thank him enough for what he did. I'll definitely be buying him a few beers later on to show how grateful I am to him. If it wasn't for him they could all have been killed, but luckily he didn't panic and acted really calmly. He just went to get the ladder and then helped them all off the roof.

"I got a phone call early this morning to say there had been a fire and that everyone was OK. I dashed down there but the fire was out by the time I arrived.

"Everyone seemed OK, although they were obviously shaken up by what had happened.

"It's lucky that Jim woke them up with his crying or they might not be here today."