TWO pensioners are living in fear for their lives after firebugs deliberately left burning hay on their doorsteps.

Piles of hay were set alight and dumped outside the front doors of Doris Wilkinson and her next door neighbour after they went to bed.

The women were saved by two Good Samaritans who spotted the flames outside their homes in Burnham Walk, Farnworth, and went to their aid.

The two men put out the smouldering hay and got the women, who are both in their eighties, out of their homes before calling firefighters.

Alison Henderson, Mrs Wilkinson's granddaughter, condemned the arsonists, saying: "If they hadn't been alerted, the smoke could easily have killed them.

"They were both in bed and had no idea what was happening. If it wasn't for the two men, I dread to think what could have happened."

A firefighter from Farnworth said: "It could have been a very serious fire because the blaze was impeding the escape from the building.

"It was a stupid and criminal act that could easily have involved casualties."

The fire is the latest in a spate of incident on the estate. Pensioners living in Burnham Walk, Laburnum Grove, Arncliffe Close and Bentham Close say they are being terrorised by gangs of teenagers

In other incidents, firefighters have been called to extinguish a car fire and unlit straw was found on a garage roof.

Councillors in Farnworth have been informed about residents' concerns and the security worries will be raised at future community meetings.

Mrs Henderson said: "Some of the elderly people are frightened to death and it's going from bad to worse.

"To place burning hay next to a pensioner's front door is disgusting and I can't believe someone would put another person's life at risk like that."