BOTH bedrooms at a house have been destroyed in separate fires – in just 15 days.

Married couple Brian and Kim Edmonds returned from the pub to find the front bedroom of their Wolstanton home on fire.

Monday night's blaze has been blamed on a lit candle in the bedroom of their mid-terrace Lily Street home.

And just 15 days earlier the couple's back bedroom was gutted after a mattress was set alight by an overheating mobile phone charger.

Now Brian and Kim are sleeping downstairs as they wait to clean up and redecorate their home.

Warehouse worker Brian, aged 49, said: "When I realised my house was on fire again I couldn't believe it.

"It has been so depressing trying to get things together after the first fire.

"After the first fire damaged the bedroom we sleep in we had put a mattress on the floor in the spare bedroom at the front and now that has burnt in the second fire.

"The latest bedroom fire has destroyed the laminate floor and charred the floorboards underneath. I can't believe we've been so unlucky."

The couple share their home with three reptiles: boa constrictor Nagini, grey-banded king snake Sid, and Albert the bearded dragon.

The couple had been visiting neighbours when the first fire took hold. They returned to the smoke-logged house at about 10.45pm on Sunday, February 4 to discover the damage.

On Monday night, the couple returned from the nearby Village Tavern pub to find three fire engines in their street.

They have been questioned by police about both incidents and were not allowed to return to the house until 11am on Tuesday following the latest fire.

They are in the process of claiming on their insurance for both fires.

Staffordshire Police are not treating the fires as suspicious.

Brian added: "At least we weren't asleep in the house during either incident, it could have been curtains for both of us.

"In the first fire my wife ran into the house and got our pets out because the place was so smoke logged. I can't believe we've been so unlucky.

"We had nowhere to go when the police were examining the house because they were treating it as a scene of interest and we had to give statements.

"But thankfully they are now happy both were accidental fires."

Firefighters from Newcastle and Sandyford were called to the latest fire at 10.40pm on Monday by a neighbour who smelt smoke and heard her own smoke alarms sounding.

Firefighters forced their way into the house because they feared people were inside.

Firefighter David Agu said: "While the fire was being tackled and firefighters searched the house, the occupiers arrived home.

"The fire involved a bedroom on the first floor of the terrace property and caused smoke logging throughout the house.

"A fire investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the fire."