Sussex firefighters broke their picket line to save a teenager trapped in a house fire.

A member of the public ran to Haywards Heath fire station and begged striking firefighters to help.

Ten firefighters left the picket line and arrived at the house within minutes.

They pulled a 19-year-old woman from the house and put out a kitchen fire before packing up their equipment and returning to the picket line.

Firefighter Les Maddams said they had a moral obligation to go to the fire.

Mr Maddams, who has been a firefighter for 20 years, said: "How could I live with myself if someone died in a fire and I didn't go out to save them? We are morally bound.

"We got the woman out of the premises, put out the fire and went back to the picket line.

"We are called to fires every day. it is our job to rescue people and it's only because there's a strike that it is highlighted. The woman who was rescued probably thinks we're worth £30,000 a year."

No Green Goddesses were called to the fire. The nearest was based in Crawley and would have taken about half an hour to reach Haywards Heath, by which time the fire could have swept through the house.

Mr Maddams said the Government would be putting lives at risk if red fire engines were used instead of the Green Goddesses should the strike continue next week.

He said: "If they take away our trucks there could be a real emergency.

"We have broken the picket line to save a life but if something was to happen and the trucks were not here we would not be able to help."

The firefighters, who ended their 48-hour strike at 6pm last night, thanked the public for their support.

Mr Maddams said: "We are very grateful to the public for their support. We want them to know it means a lot to us and lifts our spirits.

"The situation has come to a head and we didn't have any other option but to strike."

Elsewhere, two Green Goddesses went to a house in Hardwick Way, Hangleton, at 12.28pm after reports of smoke coming from the property. When they got there they discovered the owner was having a bonfire.

A Green Goddess went to London Road, Bexhill, at 1.37pm, after a woman said she was locked inside her flat, with the gas on and was going to set fire to it.

On arriving, they discovered her leaning out of the window flicking a lighter on. The police arrived and dealt with it.