AN elderly couple were taken to hospital after their house was set on fire while they slept inside.

Neighbours helped rescue the couple, who are in their 80s, from the house in Eldon Street, Tonge Moor after they had banged on their internal wall.

They had got out of bed after being woken by the fire alarm to find the living room full of smoke.

Police are now probing the suspected arson attack, with the blaze starting on the front door.

The fire was started at some point before 3.55am on March 2, when the emergency services were called to the scene.

Police have described the incident as "terrible" and said they are working to catch the arsonists who targeted the vulnerable couple.

The couple managed to get out of the house with help from neighbours and were taken to Royal Bolton Hospital suffering the effects of smoke inhalation.

Firefighters had treated them with oxygen at the scene and both are now safe and well, being cared for by family members.

Crime scene investigators cordoned off the terraced house yesterday as they combed the scene for evidence.

The investigation, held jointly by police and the fire service, is ongoing and no one has been arrested so far.

The front door of the house was charred from the middle up to the top, and police are not ruling out that accelerants may have been used, with empty containers discarded nearby.

Det Insp Charlotte Cadden said: “This is a terrible incident and enquiries are ongoing to try and establish who would target such a vulnerable elderly couple.

“We have stepped up police patrols in the area and I would like to reassure everybody in the local community that we believe this to be an isolated incident and a detailed investigation is now underway.

“Understandably the couple who live in the house are very shaken but thankfully they managed to escape the fire, suffering from only minor smoke inhalation and they are now doing much better.

“It is possible that the offenders may have discarded containers used to carry an accelerant or other suspicious items in the local area so if anybody finds anything of this nature then we would very much like to hear from them.

“I would also like to please urge anybody who may have witnessed the fire being started or anything suspicious in the area at the time to please contact the police.”

Police say they are treating the blaze as an isolated incident, and took statements from the couple after they returned home from hospital.

Chair of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Cllr David Acton, said: “Thankfully the inner porch door was closed, which prevented even more smoke spreading through the property.

“There was also a working smoke alarm that could have alerted the couple to the fire. If you don’t have a smoke alarm, please contact us for a free Home Safety Check on 0800 555 815.”