TWO police officers who rescued a man from a burning flat have been given top life-saving awards.

Police constables Sian Trudy Hough, aged 34, and Stuart Bailey, aged 42, who both serve in Bolton, will each receive the awards after they rescued the man from The Pewfist, Westhoughton, on September 11 last year.

The two officers responded to a report of a house fire where a man had been heard shouting. They entered a first floor flat after forcing open the door and shouted for the occupant, 45-year-old Derek Sergeant.

On getting no reply, they crawled along the hallway, which was filled with dense black smoke, trying to find him. They eventually did find him, unconscious, in the living room and dragged him along the landing to safety.

At this point, firefighters arrived and helped carry Mr Sergeant to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

In addition to the award, given by the Royal Humane Society, the two police officers today won the personal praise of Major General Christopher Tyler, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society, for their bravery. Speaking at the Society's London headquarters, he said: "I don't need to spell out the dangers of entering a burning building filled with smoke. These two officers took it in their stride and selflessly fought their way in to rescue this man."

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"Although the fire brigade were not far behind, with smoke inhalation every second counts, so it's almost certain that Mr Sergeant owes his life to the brave intervention of these two heroes. They too could easily have been overcome by smoke."

The Royal Humane Society was originally formed by a group of London doctors in 1774 and is the leading UK organisation responsible for honouring life-savers.