A FAMILY from Abbots Langley lost treasured possessions when a television caught fire and ruined a bedroom at the top of their house on Saturday.

Owners Richard and Jeanette Rodwell called the fire service to Wadham Road at 2.15pm when the ten-year-old set went up in flames. Their eldest child, Simon, 13, had been watching the television in his third-floor bedroom when it began smoking.

Mrs Rodwell said: 'He called for his dad, who immediately pulled the cord out of the wall. Suddenly it went up in flames. Richard started shouting 'Get out, get out' and shut the door of the bedroom and got me, Simon, our ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and our dog out of the house.

'There was no time to do anything. The fire just took control so quickly. Thank goodness Simon had not been in bed. I dread to think what could have happened.'

Crews from Garston, Kings Langley and Rickmansworth took an hour to get the fire under control.

Sub-Officer John Magill, of Garston fire service, said: 'We knew we had something big as we approached as there was smoke billowing down the road. It was quite a hot job.

'It's quite unusual for televisions to catch fire these days because new ones have built-in circuit-breakers.'

The Rodwells moved into the house 13 years ago, a year after they were married.

The fire ruined the third-floor bedroom and badly damaged the attic, destroying many wedding and family photographs. Every room in the house was affected by smoke or water, and the Rodwells do not expect their home to be returned to normality for at least a month.

Mrs Rodwell said: 'The children are very unsettled. Simon is upset because he is a great collector and his collections have been destroyed.

'Most of his stuff can be replaced but I remember queueing for hours outside Toys R Us with him when he was younger for all his Thunderbirds figures. A few years ago he also ate one pizza a week from Pizza Hut so he could collect all the plastic dinosaurs that they were offering. The dinosaurs were on his bookshelf and they have now gone forever.

'We have 13 years' worth of stuff in that house, some of which cannot be replaced.'