A student was taken to hospital after jumping from the first floor of a house in Canterbury last night when a kitchen fire broke out.

Firefighters said the blaze at the property in South Street shortly after 8pm was caused by a pan being left unattended on a stove.

Watch manager Mark Jones said: "The property houses five students and the alarm was raised by a smoke alarm. But one female decided to exit the building via a first floor window and suffered bruising and a sprain as a consequence.

"Clearly the smoke alarm did its job but the pan should not have been left unattended. It is also important to have a fire exit plan and in circumstances like this it should be possible to get out without the risk of jumping from a window."

The fire caused minor smoke damage.