Fire crews had to lead a man to safety from a smoke-filled flat in Folkestone early today after a suspected arson attack.

The front door to the third-storey flat in Princes Gate, The Old High Street, had been set alight.

A man in his 50s was still inside the flat when firefighters from Folkestone and Dover arrived at 4.30am.

Watch manager Giles Parker, from Folkestone, said: “Two crews wearing breathing apparatus went into the building through the stairs.

“The man was still inside the flat so we led him to safety and treated him for smoke inhalation at the scene before handing him over to paramedics.”

The cause of the fire is being treated as suspicious and is being investigated by police.