A family of seven faces an uncertain Christmas after a blaze gutted their home in Worthing.

Paul and Jane Stone, both 39, said the contents of their two-storey terraced council property in Raleigh Crescent, Goring, were uninsured.

The couple's 13-month old twins Tori and Jody, Ryan, five, Liam, 14 and Sean, 16, escaped uninjured from the flames.

The fire is thought to have started after five-year-old Ryan and his friend lit a baptism candle while playing in the upstairs front bedroom.

The family are now sleeping on the floor at Mr Stone's father's house but have lost everything.

Today all that could be seen outside the property were the damaged remains of toy cars, children's videos and a teddy bear.

Plastic Santa figures hanging on the front of the house provided a painful reminder that Christmas is just around the corner.

Mr Stone said: "Jane cries every time she looks at the damage upstairs. "You always think things like this will never happen to you. It is difficult to describe how it feels, especially just before Christmas.

"We may not have the best Christmas and the kids have lost a lot of their toys and clothes but we are just glad everyone got out safely."