A FIREMAN raced to the aid of his new next door neighbours after they spotted smoke.

Stuart Dillingham a retained Broadway firefighter was with a friend when he returned to his home in Morris Road, Broadway at 5.58pm last Friday.

His next door neighbours Ian Gill and Janet Thomas had also just arrived home, and on spotting the smoke shouted for Mr Dillingham's help without realising he was a firefighter.

While Mr Dillingham's friend rang the fire brigade, Mr Dillingham grabbed a car fire extinguisher from his neighbours' home and rushed upstairs to the fire in the first floor bathroom.

The flames were too severe for him to get into the bathroom but he was able to put out a small fire which had started on the upstairs landing before one fire engine from Broadway and one from Evesham arrived.

Mr Dillingham who has only lived in his new house for a fortnight said: "There was not a great deal that I could do except stopping it from spreading downstairs until the firefighters got there. It's not a nice way to be introduced to your neighbours but it's certainly something we can talk about in the future. Mr Gill said: "We haven't seen him since to thank him, but we'll thank him as soon as we see him. " The fire, which completely gutted the bathroom, is believed to have started when a broken extractor fan fell down, igniting deodorant sprays.