A sleeping mother and her baby were rescued by firefighters, thanks to a neighbour who heard their smoke alarm.

The blaze started in the woman’s home in Curtis Road, Ashford, after she fell asleep after putting eggs on to boil on her cooker.

Firefighters were called to the house after a neighbour heard the smoke alarm sounding and phoned the fire service.

Two appliances from Ashford’s Green Watch attended the scene at around 8.50pm last night (Wednesday).

Crews managed to wake the sleeping homeowner and her son and get the pair safely out of the property, which had filled with smoke.

Firefighters cleared the property of smoke and fumes using a positive pressure ventilation fan.

An ambulance also attended the scene, and the woman and her baby were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

About the incident, Green Watch Manager Clive Douglas said: "As this incident highlights, working smoke alarms can and do save lives.

"Without the alarm sounding it is likely the fire would have gone undetected for longer and endangered the life of those in the property.

"Just three breaths of smoke can cause unconsciousness but babies and older people are most at risk if fire breaks in their home, as their bodies are even less able to cope."

Mr Douglas also praised the neighbour for their quick actions in phoning the emergency services.

Fire crews will now be visiting neighbouring properties to offer free fire safety advice.

For further advice on how to keep you, your family or a neighbour safe from fire call 0800 923 7000 or click here.