A FAMILY of four have been left homeless at Christmas after a hairdryer caught fire in an upstairs bedroom, spreading to the rest of the house.

Susan Tebay (47), of Prestolee Road, Stoneclough, says she and her partner David Lowe (52) are counting their blessings after escaping the blaze, which broke out at 9.45am on Sunday.

Mrs Tebay's 16-year-old daughter Laura and her granddaughter Natasha, aged four, were also in the house at the time of the blaze.

Mrs Tebay said: "The rest of us were watching TV downstairs when we heard Laura shout down that her room was on fire. We tried to put it out ourselves but it caught on to the wardrobe and some clothes, and the smoke was so bad we didn't stand a chance.

"Laura's bedroom is gutted, and the fire's destroyed nearly everything she had. She's lost her horseriding trophies, all her clothes, china dolls, computer, stereo and most of the presents she bought for Christmas.

"All the other rooms are badly smoke-damaged and it's not safe for us to stay here.

"It looks like we will be spending Christmas with family and friends. We are still waiting to hear from our insurance company."

Fire crews put out the blaze, and the family were treated for smoke inhalation at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Mr Lowe said: "From what we can gather, we think Natasha might have gone into Laura's bedroom, started playing with the hairdryer and left it on. The main thing is that everyone's all right."