A Bamber Bridge firefighter, who took part in a rescue mission in Pakistan following the recent massive earthquake, has spoken of the horrific scenes he witnessed.

Mark Noblet, of Boys Lane, Fulwood, took part in a rescue effort in the Kashmiri city of Muzaffrabad.

The 40-year-old, who has been a firefighter for 18 years, helped rescue dozens of people, including schoolchildren, trapped in the rubble in the city which has been completely destroyed. He arrived home to wife Alyson, 36, son Nathan, three, and stepson Sam, nine, on Sunday morning after a week-long search and rescue operation with colleagues from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.

He said: "The devastation was terrifying. You could see it getting worse as the helicopter pulled closer to the epicentre.

"When we pulled over the top of the mountain, it was a scene of utter chaos.

"There were crumbled houses everywhere. Lots of people were desperate for help."

He said the worst part of the mission was trying to find survivors in the debris of a collapsed school. "Being a father myself, I could understand the pain these people were feeling. There were so many parents stood around hoping their child would be pulled out, but of course for many of them this didn't happen.

"We got monsoon-like downpours and we saw a family who were stranded in it so we made them a shelter. They were so happy.

"I went to see them again a few days later and they had invited lots of people to live in there with them."

Call the Disaster Emergency Committee's appeal line on 0870 6060900 or go to www.dec.org.uk to donate cash for earthquake victims.