A MOTHER and her daughter had to smash their way to safety when a fire started in their home.

Denise Gallagher, 35, and 11-year-old daughter Nicole were asleep when the fire broke out at 10.10pm on Sunday night.

A neighbour noticed smoke coming from the house in Jackson Street, Hartlepool, and called the fire brigade before trying to help rescue the pair.

Neighbours tried to break down the door but, when they were unable to get into the house, the mother and daughter broke upstairs windows.

Three fire crews and an emergency tender arrived and succeeded in rescuing the pair and extinguishing the flames.

Mrs Gallagher and her daughter were taken to the University Hospital of Hartlepool, suffering from smoke inhalation and cuts to their arms and hands.

Nicole was detained overnight, while it was believed her mother was able to move in with relatives while the extent of the damage to the ground floor was assessed.

The police are not treating the incident as suspicious and believe an electrical fault may have caused the fire.