Twins Michael and John Brown have been praised for their bravery after they helped rescue a neighbour from his smoke-filled flat when fire broke out in the kitchen.

Friends paid tribute to the courage and clear thinking of the twins, after the incident at West End House in Chippenham.

"They are both so brave and they did really well. They probably saved the man's life," said friend Kerry Vincent, of Taunton Close, Chippenham.

Michael Brown, 36, heard the fire alarms and spotted thick, black smoke pouring out from the door of his next door neighbour's flat at about 7.45pm on Tuesday.

He fetched his twin brother from another flat in the block and they made sure everyone evacuated the flats and called the fire brigade.

Then the twins knocked on the door of the burning flat. Nobody answered, but the door was unlocked and the twins went inside, braving the thick, choking smoke that filled the rooms.

They discovered their neighbour sitting in an armchair, very dazed, and escorted him from the flat, one brother to each side.

"There was a pan still burning in the kitchen, so I went in again with a wet bath towel on my face, then put it over the pan," said John Brown.

He also turned off the power and then opened the windows to clear the smoke.

Within two minutes Chippenham firefighters arrived on the scene.

The neighbour was affected by smoke inhalation but refused to go to hospital for treatment.

Both John and Michael Brown travelled to Bath's Royal United Hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

John Brown, a painter and decorator, was the worst affected and had to take a day off work to recover.

"I was coughing and wheezing, and had a tight chest and a burning sensation," he said.

Michael Brown, who works in the Woolworths cafeteria in Swindon, has lived in West End House for three years, but his brother moved in just one week ago.

"I had to tell the firefighters all about what happened," said John Brown. "I thought they might be annoyed, as it's their job not mine, but they were very pleased.

"I didn't think of being afraid. There wasn't time to be frightened I just got on and did it."

Firefighters from Chippenham said the incident highlighted the importance of installing smoke detectors in every home, in case fire broke out.

"It was the smoke detectors which raised the alarm," said Leading Firefighter Jack Nicholson.