A shop worker met his new neighbours in dramatic fashion when he bashed down a front door to save them from a house fire.

Jordan White had only moved to Railway Street, Northfleet, two days before but found himself rushing out of his new home to help a family he had never met.

"I was in the front room and heard screaming," the 22-year-old said. "I ran down the road with nothing on my feet.

"I saw the kids in the top window with their mum screaming. I was one the first ones there and some of the other neighbours had already rung the fire service.

"I started to kick down the front door. It went down and a lot of smoke came out. As I did that, a neighbour put a ladder up against the house and another was holding it.

"He climbed it and started to pass the kids down to me and the other person."

Jordan did not know who lived in the property as he had only moved into the street two days previously, from Belvedere, with his two children and partner.

They had not even unpacked before the drama unfolded in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The blaze broke out in the two-storey property just before 4am and the occupants were trapped on the top floor by the flames.

They suffered from the effects of smoke inhalation and were later treated by paramedics at the scene, but were otherwise unharmed.

Firefighters spent two hours tackling the blaze using a combination of high-pressure hose reels and main jets, followed by a large fan to drive smoke and fumes from the premises.

Two cats at the property were also saved.

Jordan – who works at B&M in Gravesend – added: "My instincts just kicked in. I could smell smoke too and at first thought my TV was on the way out but then I heard the screaming.

"I jumped the wall outside my house to get out there. A lot of us were out helping. Someone was getting everyone blankets.

"I met a few of the neighbours that night. Hopefully it will be quieter from now on and I will meet them in different circumstances next time."

The blaze was attended by two fire crews, British Red Cross volunteers and members of the Kent Fire and Rescue Service Volunteer Response Team who gave practical assistance and comfort to the tenants.

The fire is believed to have started accidentally, due to an electrical fault.