Peter and Debbie Costello have praised fire fighters who helped save their lives after a blaze broke out in their kitchen.

The blaze started in their first floor flat in Dulverton Avenue, Park North, after Debbie fell asleep, having left chips cooking in a pan.

Debbie, 35, said: "I woke up and saw smoke everywhere. I woke up my husband, Peter, and called the fire brigade, who were brilliant. We are lucky to be alive."

Debbie left the flat but Peter, 44, went to the back bedroom to rescue their two dogs, Gilly and Conker.

As 15 fire fighters arrived on the scene at around midnight on Tuesday, Debbie tried to return to the flat.

"They stopped me from going back in and went in themselves, bringing Peter and our dogs to safety. I'm so grateful for their help. The fire brigade does a fantastic job," she added.

An ambulance took the couple to the Great Western Hospital where they stayed overnight.

Although they were unhurt in the incident, their kitchen will have to be replaced because it was badly damaged by smoke.

The flat is fitted with a smoke alarm, but it was disconnected at the time of the fire.

Peter, who maintains play areas for Swindon Council, said: "We disconnected it because it kept going off when we cooked anything. Our experience shows just how essential they are. My wife woke up purely by chance, so we are very fortunate."

Fire fighters stopped the blaze spreading outside the kitchen and put out the flames within an hour. They had to use spotlights and extraction fans when they were tackling the blaze, which left much of the flat blackened by smoke.

Emma Wheatley, who lives below, was disturbed by the commotion.

She said: "I was having a late bath and heard lots of banging.

"Then I saw black smoke in the stairwell and found Debbie coughing. I helped her outside. It was all a big shock."

Mark Gaskarth, assistant divisional officer at the fire safety department in Drove Road, Swindon, led the rescue operation.

He said: "The occupants are very lucky. The consequences of this fire could have been far worse and the incident illustrates the importance of fire safety in the kitchen."

His advice for kitchen safety is:

Try to avoid using chip pans and do not leave food cooking unattended.

Install a smoke detector and check regularly that it works.

Make sure you have an action plan, in case of a fire. This should include an escape route.

Try to avoid cooking late at night, when people tend to be less alert. Go to the chip shop instead.