QUICK-WITTED police officers braved smoke and flames to save a family home from fire.

Police had been called to Westbourne Street, Stockton, at about 5pm on Monday following a disturbance at a property.

Alerted to a fire in a house across the road, brave officers rushed up two flights of stairs to battle the blaze, caused by a mattress alight in an attic room.

It is thought that four officers entered the house, using hand-held extinguishers from their patrol car, to put out the blaze before fire crews from Stockton and Thornaby arrived on the scene.

Two officers from Stockton Police were taken to hospital on Monday night suffering from smoke inhalation.

The mother-of-four who lives at the terraced house and who did not want to be named, said: "When I saw there was a fire I just got the kids out. I was so shocked I could hardly speak.

"My five-year-old son ran over to the police and told them what was going on.

"They ran inside straight away and put the fire out. They were brilliant, they saved the house."

Superintendent Dave Brunskill, of Stockton Police, praised his officers' bravery.

He said: "While police officers need to be mindful of tackling situations such as this, they are not trained firefighters. They were in the immediate vicinity of the fire when alerted to the fact that people were in the building.

"They responded in the best traditions of the service and should be rightly proud of their actions.

"I will be speaking with the officers to congratulate them."

There was moderate heat and smoke damage to the attic bedroomr.

The woman, who has four children, aged between four and 16, said the fire was caused by her five-year-old son, who accidentally set fire to the mattress after getting hold of a lighter.

She said: "It is just a big relief nothing more serious has come of it and that everyone was safe and well."