A MAN was taken to hospital with burns to his leg after he lit up a cigarette and set fire to his bed.

Firefighters were called to a house in Firwood Lane, Tonge Moor, onTuesday morning when a neighbour smelt smoke coming from the ground floor flat.

A woman, who was with the injured man, saw the fire and began throwing cold water over the bed.

The flames destroyed the bedclothes and mattress before crews arrived at 10.30am.

Firefighters from Bolton Central, and another from Salford who were in the area, arrived and used pans of water instead of a hose reel to extinguish the blaze.

The man, in his 50s, was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital after suffering slight burns to his leg.

Station officer Ian Duckworth said the pair had a lucky escape.

"If this man had been on his own, it could have been a fatal accident," he said. "It is very dangerous to smoke in bed.

"Also, the house didn't have a smoke detector that would have alerted them much earlier.

"We would advise people to evacuate a property if they discover a fire and not stay in the room."