‘We owe him so much’

Postman Mark Brough, from Leek Delivery Office, has been praised for saving an elderly couple’s house from going up in flames.

Mark was walking up to the customers’ house in Cheddleton, Staffordshire, with a Special Delivery in his hand when he smelled smoke and heard an alarm. After knocking on the side porch and getting no response, he looked through the window and saw thick black smoke billowing inside.

‘When I looked through the window, I could see that the smoke was really bad,’ said Mark. ‘So, I ran next door to the neighbour to check if they had a spare key. They didn’t, but they said that their own neighbour “Steve,” did.

When Mark opened the front door and entered the property with Steve, his first thought was to check if anyone was inside injured.

‘I looked in the bedroom and lounge and then went into the kitchen. Luckily, it was obvious that no-one was in, so we ran outside coughing - the smoke was horrendous.’

When Mark and the neighbour went back inside a second time, they found a tea towel alight on top of one of the electric cooking hobs.

‘I grabbed the tea towel, threw it outside and stamped on it to put the fire out,’ said Mark. ‘We then went back inside to open all the windows. I couldn’t believe how bad the smoke was. I don’t think I would go inside a property again with smoke.

‘People keep congratulating me. But I feel that it was just the right thing to do. Anyone would have done the same in similar circumstances.

‘I suppose it was just a day in the life of a postman as, besides delivering letters, you can help people. I have experienced helping people before. Some time ago, I was delivering letters when I heard a woman shouting for help. She had fallen and broken her pelvis.’

The customers, Mr and Mrs Jean and John Kidney, later wrote in to praise Mark’s actions, saying they couldn’t thank him enough: ‘I could have been in bed asleep as I have cancer,’ said Mrs Kidney. ‘As it was, I was at the hospital getting blood tests. We owe him so much.’

Leek delivery office manager, Lisa Wickes, said: ‘If it wasn’t for Mark’s quick and selfless actions, the customer could have lost both her home and all her possessions. He is a credit to himself, the office and Royal Mail.’