A bus driver who saved the lives of an Oxford couple trapped in their burning flat has been nominated for a special bravery award.

Father of three Bruce Coppen, 32, dashed from Gloucester Green bus station in Oxford to a nearby flat when he saw smoke billowing out of the windows.

Fearing it might be too late if he waited for the fire brigade to arrive, Mr Coppen made the decision to enter the block of flats himself and rescued couple Thea Stewart, 20, and Rob Savory, 26, who were asleep in their bedroom.

Mr Coppen, who was nominated by his wife Pauline, said it was nice to be recognised but did not feel he had done anything special.

He said: "You don't think you are being brave at the time. I think other people do other better things and this doesn't seem that big to me.

"But I must admit it was nice when my little boy came up to me and said: 'daddy's a hero'!"

Fire crews arrived four or five minutes after the Oxford Bus Company driver had led the couple away from the blaze, which had been started by an electrical spark from TV wiring.

Ms Stewart said she was very pleased that Mr Coppen had been nominated.

She said: "I still think it was a very brave thing to do. It seems like a very long time ago now, but it was definitely very heroic of him.

"His presence of mind after he saw the smoke was critical.

"If he had not acted the way he did there is not a flicker of a doubt in my mind that we would have died."

Mr Coppen drew on his naval training to carry out the rescue by kneeling down outside the door in case there was a fireball, before pushing the door of the flat open.

After leading the couple to their front door he and Dennis Ratcliffe from rival company Stagecoach alerted neighbours to evacuate the building.

Speaking immediately after the fire, an Oxfordshire fire service spokesman said: "The flat had no smoke alarms fitted and it was only the prompt actions of the bus company employees that saved the lives of the two individuals."

* We have extended the deadline for entries to the Lifesavers awards by a week, giving you until June 23 to get your nominations in.

The awards, backed by Vodafone and the Oxford Mail, pay tribute to ordinary people and members of the emergency services.

Nominations can be made using the form below, by calling the awards scheme's hotline on 0870 902 3333 or visiting the website www.vodafone.co.uk/ lifesavers.