Firefighters kept their cool after rescuing the same man twice in just one hour.

They said he had fallen asleep while cooking - and then dozed off again with a second meal on the hob.

Fumes from the burning food triggered smoke alarms and alerted neighbour Colin Everett who dialled 999.

But firefighters refused to condemn the man, who lives in Newick Road, Brighton, saying he was just very tired.

When The Argus called, the man laughed and said: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Mr Everett, a civil servant, called the fire brigade after hearing the first alarm.

Firefighters found the man asleep on his sofa as smoke filled his semi-detached house.

The 40-year-old, who has not been named, told officers he had dozed off while cooking.

Mr Everett again dialled 999 an hour later when he heard the alarms go off a second time.

A different crew turned up to find the man had fallen asleep and burnt a second meal.