A mother who lost her two-year-old daughter in a house fire urged parents to make sure they had working smoke alarms in their homes.

Firefighters also warned that the issue of children playing with fire urgently needed to be addressed after an inquest heard the blaze was started by the youngster or her four-year-old brother.

Libby Dore, described by her family as "an adorable, cheeky, special little girl", died last August in a fire which gutted her home in Mendip Road, Worthing.

She had been playing with brother Kai when the fire started in their room.

The ground floor council flat had a smoke alarm but it did not go off and by the time her mother Hayley Osborne, 23, and boyfriend Callum Kinsella, 18, realised what was happening, the room was ablaze.

At yesterday's hearing at Worthing town hall, coroner Roger Stone recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said: "Tragically this appears to have been a fire started by one or other of the children which got out of hand before the mother or her friend became aware."

Speaking after the inquest, the toddler's family said they hoped the tragedy might help prevent further deaths. Miss Osborne said: "I thought my smoke alarm was working because it had gone off once when I burnt some toast.

"But it didn't go off this time. If it had Libby might have been saved. We want to make sure parents know they need to check their alarms are working."

Libby's grandmother Kim Osgood, of Whitebeam Road, Durrington, said: "The day after, the fire service went down the road fitting new alarms in all the houses.

"But it shouldn't take something like this before it is made sure every council home is safe."

Miss Osborne said: "We saw Kai standing in the doorway and there was the reflection of fire on his face.

"We ran to the room and there was fire on their bunk bed going up to the ceiling.

"We couldn't see Libby. We tried to get in there but the heat was so strong, we just couldn't."

The fire engulfed the flat and Miss Osborne, Mr Kinsella and Kai were forced to smash a living room window to escape.

Neighbours desperately tried to rescue Libby but were beaten back by the heat and smoke.

Miss Osborne, now living in Summerdown Court, Durrington, said she did not know how the children came to be playing with a naked flame or what they had used to start it.

Worthing district fire commander Roy Barraclough said: "We have to try and prevent another family suffering in this way.

"Many children have a fascination with fire and will experiment with it at some stage."

He said the fire service offered a free education scheme to parents of young children who had shown an interest in fire.

Mr Barraclough said: "This was one of 15 fire deaths in West Sussex during a period of only 13 months.

"Of those, only 11 had smoke alarms and only three were working.

A smoke alarm without a battery is a useless piece of plastic. Check yours today and keep checking."

Miss Osborne's landlord was housing association Worthing Homes. Chief executive Robin King said the company was committed to fire safety and a new fire alarm had been installed in the flat nine months before the fire.

The flats also contain a fire alarm and emergency lighting within the communal hallways, which are checked on a quarterly basis.

Mr King said: "Following the fire, we reviewed the flats with the fire brigade to ensure no additional precautions were required."

For information on the fire awareness and community education scheme, call 01243 786211.