Grieving mother tells of deaths in car blaze

The mother of two small children who died in a car fire spoke of their last moments during an emotional press conference yesterday.

Sulie Averiss's final act for her son and daughter was to ensure their seat belts were safely buckled in the Vauxhall Cavalier before going into a house in Reading, Berkshire. The car caught fire and Shannon, aged three, and Ciaran, 14 months, were overcome by smoke and flames. Ms Averiss and the children's father, Damien Moore, 20, managed to get the children out of the car but, although firefighters revived them briefly, both children later died.

Crying throughout her brief statement, Ms Averiss, 20, said: "Cherish what you've got because you never know what you've got till they've gone." She added: "The message is never, ever leave your kids in the car."

Thames Valley Police said they were investigating reports of alleged drug dealing at the property.