AN 80-year-old woman was rescued by firefighters when arsonists set fire to furniture piled up outside her home.

Fire officers were called to a ground floor flat in Kingsfold Close, Breightmet, at around midnight on Sunday.

Waste furniture was piled up outside the flat, ready for collection by Bolton Council this week, when it was set alight by arsonists.

The blaze quickly spread to the window frames of the house and then to the kitchen.

Seeing the flames, a neighbour raised the alarm and tried to kick to the front door down to rescue to the pensioner.

When firefighters arrived the woman was panicing and could not open her front door but managed to post her house keys through the letterbox so officers could get into the flat and take her to safety.

Watch commander Kevin O'Connor, from Bolton central fire station, said: "Another two minutes and the whole kitchen would have gone up.

"It was so close to killing her. Somebody has just lit this furniture and gone on their way, leaving this lady unable to get out of her own home."

He added: "She was terrified and in shock when we arrived and a lot of damage was done to the front of the house."

Fire officers gave the pensioner oxygen treatment for smoke inhalation but she declined hospital treatment.

Police are now investigating the case and treating it as arson with intent to endanger life.