A baby girl was rescued by firemen who carried her down a ladder from a top-floor flat after smouldering rubbish filled her home with smoke today.

Firefighters brought the sleeping tot to safety during the drama at 3.30am.

The child’s parents, who were trapped in the flat in Fenton Street, Brierley Hill, were also led to safety after they were woken by a smoke alarm.

Watch commander Dave Foley from Brierley Hill fire station said a bag of rubbish dumped in the empty downstairs flat had started to smoulder filling the flat and the one above with smoke.

He said: “Fortunately for the family we had fitted smoke alarms in the property and they alerted the mother and father.

“If it had not been for the smoke detectors this could have been a lot more serious.

“The flat was completely smoke logged and we had to use a ladder to rescue the baby.

“We were then able to lead the parents out of the flat to safety.”

He said the mother and baby were taken to Russells Hall Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

It is not known how the bag of rubbish ended up in the empty flat. The flats are built on the former site of the Railway Inn.