A stunned elderly couple returned to find their flat smoke-logged and firefighters at the scene.

They had gone for a walk forgetting to turn off a boiling pan.

Fire crews were called out after 11am today (Sunday) to the sheltered accommodation property at Fisher Road,Canterbury.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “The pan was burned and this set off the smoke alarm, which alerted us.

“I think they had been boiling eggs but it was hard to tell as there was nothing left.

“They were embarrassed but this was just an honest mistake.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Service regularly warns people never to leave cooking unattended.

Firefighter from the Whitstable station were sent this incident as Canterbury colleagues were busy elsewhere.

One of the major jobs that day for KFRS had been a thatched cottage blaze near Faversham.

Shortly afterwards, at about 12.30pm, the Whitstable crew was called out to a tumble dryer fire at a flat in New Dover Road, Canterbury.

Clothes inside the dryer caught light but the flames were contained within the machine so firefighters were able to carry it outside.

The occupants had got out in time and called the fire brigade but their flat ended up being smoke-logged.