Eastbourne firefighters save children from locked bedroom

The door became jammed as the latch had corroded into pieces, leaving the handle disconnected.

Six-year-old Leonore and her five-year-old sister Carmel Gould tried to get the attention of their parents but the door wouldn’t budge.

The sisters’ mother Karine said, “They were so calm and composed as we reassured them on the other side of the door.”

The fire brigade came within minutes and assessed the problem instantly.

The girls’ father Jonny said, “We told the girls to push their bed and climb on to it to reach the window handle, where the crew, David, Jamie, Ryan and Ed were able to access the first floor window.”

The fire officers’ professionalism extended to accessing the room without even stepping on the bedclothes, said Jonny.

He added, “These guys must be among the best in the country given their experience of fighting massive fires on the pier and the hotel in recent years.

“I salute them.”

After crisis was averted, the firemen gave the parents a safety audit and the girls a trip around the fire engine.

Firefighter David said, “The girls were the heroes.”