TWO policemen saved a man from almost certain death when they pulled him from his blazing home.

PCs Andy Grant and Mick Place were on a routine late-night patrol in Markington, near Ripon, when they spotted an ominous orange glow in a bungalow.

They contacted the fire service and then saw a man asleep in a bedroom that was quickly filling with smoke. PC Grant climbed in and helped the man to the window where PC Place helped them out.

The two officers then returned to the bungalow and started to fight the fire with buckets of water until firefighters arrived.

Yesterday, the men were honoured for their courage when Chief Constable Della Cannings awarded both commendations at a ceremony at police HQ in Newby Wiske.

Another commendation went to civilian Gregg Morrison, from the force control room in Newby Wiske, for his "outstanding professionalism, calm demeanour, quick thinking and humanity."

He was on duty when a 999 call came through reporting a two-year-old had fallen into a pond and stopped breathing.

With the air ambulance on the way, he talked the caller through the resuscitation techniques for 20 minutes - and the boy later made a full recovery.

A pursuit that followed an armed robbery in Scarborough resulted in commendations for Detective Sergeant Geoff Carey and PCs Jez Pratt and Andy Richardson.

At one stage, they were held at gunpoint but the robber was eventually caught and is now serving 20 years.

PCs Timothy Gargan and John Brownlie and Sgt Matthew Millington were commended for "brave actions that prevented a serious incident becoming worse."

They negotiated with and eventually disarmed a man with a Samurai sword who was threatening his family.

Commendations also went to Scarborough officers Insp Neil Ingham, Sgt Leo Suret and PC Phil Cain for rescuing a suicidal woman from the sea.

Certificates of appreciation were presented to Maria and Paul Fothergill, members of Bedale Mobile Watch whose observations led to the arrest of two burglars.

Long Service Awards were presented to PC Paul Maloney, Det Sgt Paul Woodward, Insp Mike Woodhall and Sgt Timothy Osborne.