A father kicked down the door of his neighbour’s burning flat to drag him and his girlfriend to safety Steffen Foster, 21, of Grinstead Mount, Nuthurst Place, Whitehawk, was in his flat with his girlfriend Donna Gearing, 19 and their daughters Kaydi, two and Scarlett, four months, when he saw flames coming from the flat next door.

He said: “I heard someone shouting and looked out of the window and saw orange flames coming out of the window.

“I kicked the door in and found a woman unconscious on the floor so I carried her out on the balcony.

“My neighbour John was passed out on the sofa and I carried him out too.

“By the time I’d done that I couldn’t get back to the front door so I jumped over the balcony to get my girls out. When we got to the corridor it was pitch black and full of smoke. I put blankets over my girls’ heads and we carried them downstairs.

"I dropped them off with their mum and went back upstairs for my friend’s dog which was in my flat.

"I couldn't breath by the time I got outside.”

Emergency services were called to the first floor flat by a member of the public just after 6.30pm on Monday.

The two occupants of the flat were rescued from the balcony and taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, suffering smoke inhalation.

A 38-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were later arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.