Hero who claimed to have saved pensioner from fire exposed as fantasist after real lifesavers come forward

It was an apparent act of selfless courage that saved the life of a 91-year-old man trapped in his blazing home.

In recognition of his bravery, Vernon Barratt was to be presented with a heroism award at a ceremony attended by Gordon Brown.

But now the award has been suspended after two other rescuers contradicted his dramatic version of events.

Instead of putting himself at grave danger and dragging injured Kaz Sienkiewicz from his terrace house, they say Mr Barratt never set foot inside the burning building.

At the time Mr Barratt, 58, said: "Me and two younger blokes started kicking the door down, but we were getting nowhere.

"I decided to go round the back and see if I could get in that way, and I found that the back door was left open.

"When I got in I could see a leg dangling through the ceiling and a load of burning carpet falling to the floor.

"The house was beginning to fill with thick, black smoke, so I put my coat over my head, and crawled on my hands and knees, feeling my way around."

Mr Barratt said he saw Mr Sienkiewicz unconscious in his bedroom.

"I was about to give him the kiss of life when the two blokes who were helping me kick the door down appeared and we took him downstairs."

Modestly, he said anyone would have done the same if they had been in his position.

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But James Cregg and Robert Morton, both 25, say it was they who saved Mr Sienkiewicz from the inferno in Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire.

They found Mr Sienkiewicz in his blazing back bedroom. His leg was stuck through the floorboards and he was trying to release himself using his arms, which were both on fire.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs they were met by a fourth rescuer, Scott Bird, who dragged Mr Sienkiewicz into the back yard.

Mr Cregg claimed: "Up until this point Vernon Barratt had no involvement in the rescue.

He only appeared once we had got into the yard. His contribution was simple - he carried Kaz out of the yard and round to the front of the house."

All four rescuers were put forward for the bravery award but it was Mr Barratt, with his vivid description of the rescue, who was selected by the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund to be the main recipient.

Now the award, which was due to be presented at a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister today, has been postponed while the fund investigates.

Ian Potter, the station manager who attended the fire, said: "In my opinion James and Robert were the only two members of the public who stepped above the call of duty that day."

Mr Barratt was not available for comment.