Two policemen have been praised after rescuing six people from a flat above a West Sussex take-away restaurant.

Today the search continued for a burglar who unwittingly and indirectly sparked the fire when he tried to break in.

People living above the Lucky House restaurant in Chichester were disturbed by noises downstairs as he tried to force open the door.

They pulled back the curtains in the living area of the restaurant, in Southgate, to see what was going on.

But the curtains were next to lit candles which set them on fire. Flames quickly spread throughout the flat.

PCs Martin Price and Mark Burgess, called to the attempted burglary, pulled six people to safety and used an extinguisher on the flames.

PC Burgess, who was back on duty last night, said: "We literally had to drag them out because they wanted to go back inside and try to fight the fire.

"But it was like a tinderbox in there and someone could have got badly injured."

The two have been praised for their action. Police are hunting the burglar who tried to break in late on Monday night.

Sergeant Phillip Curran said: "The two officers showed bravery and disregard for their own safety to prevent damage to property and to save life."