Man rescues neighbour from fire

Mr Hughes entered the flat several times during the rescue

A man has been hailed a hero after rescuing his neighbour from a property fire in Shropshire.

Ted Hughes, from Upton Magna, carried Gwen Pryce out of the smoke-filled flat after finding her in the bathroom of the building, in Pelham Road.

Several other neighbours helped in the rescue at about 1800 GMT on Tuesday and smashed windows to help smoke escape.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is currently investigating the cause of the blaze.

Mrs Pryce is believed to be in intensive care in hospital.

'A hero'

Mr Hughes said it took several attempts to find his neighbour, as thick smoke kept forcing him back outside the property.

He said friend Brian Davies helped to carry her out.

"I grabbed a wet cloth, put it over my mouth and went in with my big torch into the room where the fire was to see if I could see her," he said.

"I happened to just go into the bathroom and I could see the bath was full of water and she was slumped against the toilet."

Fellow neighbour Marion Stevens said: "I was trying to pull him out because I thought, poor old Ted's going to collapse in there.

"He was a hero, the whole village thinks he's a hero."