A DISABLED woman haunted by memories of two children who died in a house fire 25 years ago has raised fears for her own safety.

Eunice Pavey, from the Red Hall estate, in Darlington, says she would almost certainly die if a fire were to break out on the lower floor, because she cannot open the upstairs windows.

She said: "A house identical to mine burned down in Colburn when I lived there about 25 years ago. I can still hear the screams of the two children who died there."

The 69-year-old suffers from a chronic breathing disability and severe arthritis in her hands.

Mrs Pavey said her condition made it impossible to open the windows, which are fitted with a safety mechanism to prevent them from opening fully.

Her husband, Brian, said: "Elderly, disabled and young people would not be able to open those windows if a fire broke out.

"Are the council going to wait until someone is killed before they do something about this problem?"

A council spokeswoman said that when the windows were installed about ten years ago, they met the safety requirements of the time.

Although safety regulations are under constant review, it is not council policy to apply new legislation retrospectively.

The spokeswoman said: "We have no plans to install new windows.

However, we are arranging to visit Mrs Pavey and if the property no longer meets her requirements as a result of her disability, we will explore other housing options available to her."

A fire service spokesman said: "We urge everyone to make sure they have working smoke alarms fitted both upstairs and down.

"The response time to Red Hall would be, at the very most, five minutes. This is not enough time for a house fire to take a hold so we would be there before anybody had to jump out of the window."

To arrange a free fire safety consultation in your home, call the fire service on 0191-332-4222.