A HEAVILY pregnant woman thought her baby might make an early appearance today after a fire wrecked her home just days before she is due to give birth.

Irene Hampson, of Harper Green Road, Farnworth, left her chip pan on the cooker yesterday, believing her electricity supply was switched off. She then went to an afternoon ante natal class.

But when she returned home a couple of hours later, she was horrified to see firefighters on the scene and realised her kitchen was on fire.

Fortunately, crews from Farnworth fire station managed to save the kitchen after an unknown neighbour raised the alarm, but the house was still badly damaged by smoke.

Irene and her two-year-old son, Mason, are now staying with relatives nearby, but said she thinks her baby, due next week, could come early because of the shock.

She said: "I only have one week to go but I've already started having contractions. It's just been a bit of a shock and I think it might have speeded things up. I thought the cooker was off but obviously it wasn't. I suppose we are just lucky I wasn't in bed asleep at the time, as I am sometimes am in the afternoon."