A man and woman close to death were pulled from their smoke-filled flat early today.

Police and firefighters joined forces to rescue the couple who gasped for air as they reached safety.

One fire chief said: "They are lucky to be alive. Another few minutes could have proved fatal."

Neighbours first flagged down a passing police patrol car as the blaze broke out in York Avenue, Hove, just after 4am.

Other residents were fleeing to safety as Inspector Moira Munro and Sergeant Bruce Eyre ran into the building.

They rescued a woman from the ground floor flat as more police arrived.

PCs Jay Cooper, Lee Webbon, Lee Watts and Mark Bell braved the heat and smoke and tried to reach the man.

They were beaten back and had to leave. PC Lee Watts was overcome by smoke and later needed hospital treatment before being allowed home.

Fire crews from Brighton's Preston Circus station and Hove took over and Firefighters Tony Flower and Lee Bennett, in breathing gear, rescued the man.

Leading Firefighter Tony Gurr said: "The man and woman were semi-conscious and gasping for air. They were very lucky."

The couple were taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, where their conditions were said to be satisfactory.

Both the fire crews and police were praised for their bravery. A Sussex Police spokesman said: "They all did incredibly well in what were dangerous circumstances."

The fire was started by an electrical fault in a dimmer switch on the floor of the lounge. It ignited an armchair which burst into flames and filled the flat with acrid smoke.

Firefighters stopped the flames spreading but the property was badly damaged.