Irfan Malik, 25, of Seaford Road, Broadfield, battled his way through smoke during the horror night time ordeal to get his loved ones to safety – despite it being so thick that he couldn't even see them.

And after hoisting his eight-month pregnant wife and 20 month daughter out of danger brave Irfan ran back to deal with the smoking doormat.

He said: "It was about 3 am and all the smoke was coming into my room and I literally had to grab them and drag them out, I couldn't even see them through the smoke.

"Because it's a flat there's only one exit so climbing through a window was the only option, it was terrifying.

"Once I got them out I got all the windows opened and walked back through the main flat which was still all smoked out and I had to just stand on the doormat and jump on it until it was out, I just stamped on it, I had no choice."

Luckily the ground floor flat itself was undamaged but the door and floor outside was left blackened and burnt.

And his wife, who didn't want to be named, is too frightened to return to the property.

Irfan said: "She's scared, she's too scared to come back so she'd staying with my mum who also lives in Broadfield.

"She pops back in the day with me but she won't sleep there, she doesn't want to stay until there's security."

And the furious father-of-one slammed the council for refusing to install security doors on the building which would have stopped the thugs getting in, despite repeated requests.

He said: "I need security, I've got a pregnant woman and I had to climb her out of a window, I'm just not getting anywhere with them though.

"All I want is for them to put security doors in there for me, it's just becoming a bit of a joke really, all the other flat members are all with me on this, we're sick of it.

"We're in a flat and we need as much safety as possible, my missus doesn't want to come back in the flat now until it's secure, she's eight months pregnant. All I want is for something to go in there, even if it means all us neighbours coming together and putting a petition in or something."

He said that the estate manager for the flat had been battling council bosses for four years to get security installed and added: "I get on very well with the manager here, she's always done everything she can for me since I moved in last June, but there's only so much she can do and this is coming from further up the line.

"Apparently they've been trying for four years to get security here, we're the only ones who don't and we need security doors here, I just want to try and speed up the process so that something can be done to stop this happening again."

A council spokesperson said: "We are currently getting quotes for entry security systems to the flats in Seaford Road and should have these back in the next fortnight.

"We hope to have a system installed by Christmas, but this will depend on the availability of the contractor."

Do you have a Broadfield story? Call Hannah on (01293) 845 059 or email her.