A BLACKPOOL hero dad has collected an award for his bravery from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Christopher McGrath, who saved his young sons from a ferocious house fire, has been presented with his Vodafone Life Saver Award by the PM at number ten.

As previously featured in The Citizen, Christopher's story was selected by the awards' distinguished judging panel including Major General Christopher Tyler of the Royal Humane Society, Simon Weston OBE and The Bill's Graham Cole.

He was nominated by his 17-year-old son Nicky who said his dad 'must have had a guardian angel looking after him' one December night when he was woken by his youngest son, Josh, and found the house was on fire.

The bedroom next door, where Josh and his brother Jacob had been asleep, was filled with swirling black smoke and the three of them were trapped upstairs.

Stumbling in the dark, Chris managed to carry his sons to the bedroom window. After several attempts, including throwing a television at the glass, he broke it and lowered the boys to safety before jumping out himself.

Christopher joined 22 other life savers from across the country for a special Downing Street reception and a star-studded gala luncheon at London's Savoy Hotel.

Celebrities in the 300-strong audience included Olympic Heavyweight boxer Audley Harrison, Spice Girl Melanie C, star couple Jack Ryder and Kim Marsh and soap star turned singer Claire Sweeney.

Speaking at the reception, Tony Blair said: "The prospect of risking one's own life to save another is by no means an easy decision. Yet, what is striking about the brave people that are nominated for these awards, is that they do not think twice -- taking action is for them the most natural thing to do.

"For a person to selflessly save somebody's life should never be undervalued. It is a fantastic example of courage."