It was supposed to be a warm up for a stag weekend in Benidorm, but a night of karaoke for two brothers ended with them saving14 people from a pub fire.

A taxi was due to collect Jon Doyle, 27, who is getting married in September, as well as brother Toby, 23, and six other friends at 4.30am on Friday as they prepared for a boozy weekend in the Costa Blanca.

Yet the night was to take an unthinkable twist hours before their collection when Toby noticed smoke coming from the back of The Stag pub, in Little Park Gardens, Enfield Town, next to his home.

“I thought Toby had just had one too many and was seeing things,” said Jon.

“But then we realised the fire was getting worse and ran as fast as we could to the pub to alert the people staying in the guest rooms above.”

Bewildered by the early morning cries of “fire” from the brothers and their friend Steve Vigar, 28, those staying in the rooms had no idea of the fire at the back of the pub.

Jon said: “One man was just saying ‘I’m too tired’ when we told him he had to get out but he was having none of it."

Eventually realising the peril, the 14 staying in the guest rooms attempted to escape but the door at the top of the stairs was locked.

With no way to the fire escape as it was blocked by the fire, the brothers took drastic action.

Toby said: “I punched a hole in the glass above the door but could not get it open. So we picked up a plant pot from outside the pub threw it at the window, which smashed. I jumped through the broken window to open the door and get people out, I was not thinking clearly at all.”

Groom-to-be Jon added: “You could hear the people calling for help, it was just an instinctive thing that we did. Toby gashed his leg whilst jumping through the smashed window, I guess having several drinks at the pub that night helped build up some courage.”

Following the dramatics, the 14 people living in the pub all made it out unharmed, and the fire brigade battled the blaze until the early hours of the morning.

The stag party then packed their bags and headed to Spain for the stag weekend but the drama leading up to it will live long in the memory.

Jon Doyle said: “It was a great weekend but it did not start how I thought it would, the stags saving The Stag is something we will talk about for many years to come.”