A NEIGHBOUR came to the rescue of a husband and wife after a fire broke out next to their 12-year-old daughter's bedroom.

The neighbour alerted the couple to the fire after spotting smoke billowing from their chimney, in Cherry Orchard, Holt Heath, near Worcester, at about 8am today.

David Eaton, owner of the property, said he then discovered embers in the house and called the fire service, before trying to tackle the blaze with a hose.

The 53-year-old added: "We had just decorated over Christmas and had taken down the fire alarms temporarily.

"We were both in at the time, my daughter had just gone to school. One of our neighbours saw smoke coming from the chimney.

"They came over to say you have excessive smoke coming out. I went into the loft space and it was black.

"I got the hosepipe to damp it down. Then I saw embers burning and up it started to go."

The couple said they had insurance and were just happy that they were not hurt.

They thanked their neighbour and the firefighters who attended the scene.

Watch Commander Dave Smith, of Worcester Fire Station, urged locals to install fire alarms and to check them every week, following the blaze.

He said that the parents only found out about the fire when a neighbour knocked on their door.

Mr Smith added that the fire service could potentially have been at the scene earlier if the house had working fire alarms.

He said the blaze started on the first floor, before spreading up the airing cupboard and into the roof space, causing substantial damage.

Firefighters from Malvern, Droitwich and Worcester were sent to the scene at around 8.14am today.

The crews used three hose reel jets to tackle the blaze, which they had under control within 45 minutes, according to Mr Smith.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is investigating the cause of the fire, however the couple believe it was down to old electrics.