Firefighters rushed into a home to save children’s Christmas presents when their home went up in flames on Christmas Eve.

At around 10.20pm two crews were called to Forest Road in Loughton when a fire broke out in a semi-detached house.

However, the call came in as the Fire Brigade's Union was on strike, meaning that stretched resilience crews had to deal with the blaze.

Upon arrival, crew manager Nick Taylor and firefighter Dan Smith from Loughton fire station were told that presents for four children were being stored in a first floor bedroom.

The quick-thinking duo realised that the fire had not yet reached that room and decided to go in a save what was left of Christmas for the family.

Mr Taylor said:  "The presents had all been wrapped ready for Christmas Day and were in sacks in one of the bedrooms, luckily the fire had not reached the room where they were all being stored.

"It was the only room in the house that had not been damaged by fire, myself and firefighter Dan Smith entered the bedroom whilst the crews from Harlow pitched a ladder up to the window and we passed the presents to them.

"There was four children living in the house with their mum, a girl aged four, a boy aged eight years old and two teenagers, they thankfully all got out of their home unharmed."

An investigation will be carried out by ECFRS and the police to establish the cause of the fire which began in the kitchen.