A mother and her two children have died in a fire on St Stephen’s Day in Stroud, England, local police have confirmed. 

Emergency services were called out early Friday morning but the family was trapped inside the property. 

The mother was in her late 30s, while her daughter was seven and her son four years old.

The father, a member of Gloucestershire Constabulary, was able to escape the blaze and has survived. 

Emergency services at the scene in Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud . Picture by: Alamy.com.

Police said he tried to re-enter the property several times to save his family but was unable to do so. 

"We have multiple witnesses to the anguish he was going through at his inability to get in and save his children and save his wife," Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher said.

"He is, as you can imagine, in a very distraught way. He has sadly lost his family at a time which is supposed to be a happy festive period."

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze was already “serious” by the time they arrived but they were able to stop it spreading to neighbouring homes.

Main image: Emergency services at the scene in Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud after a house fire. Picture by: Alamy.com.