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A woman in her 50s has died in a house fire.

Emergency services were alerted to the blaze in a terraced house in Tower Street, Dover at 8.18am.

Police closed the road while fire fighters, wearing breathing apparatus, tackled the flames with a main hose jet and a high pressure hose reel.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police were called at 8.36am on Monday 29 January 2018 to assist Kent Fire and Rescue Service at the scene of a house fire in Tower Street, Dover.

"Officers are currently at the scene and the road remains closed at this time.

"A woman in her 50s was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Her next of kin have been informed and a report is being prepared for the coroner."

A statement on the fire service's website says: "The cause of the fire is not yet known".

Kent Fire and Rescue Service today said that it could not reveal further details concerning the fire until its investigation was completed.

The road was shut until about 11am as shocked neighbours saw the mass of emergency services vehicles at the scene.

Paramedics were also there and Kent Police's forensic investigation unit.

One, Donna Warren, said: "My brother-in-law woke me up and I saw all the fire engines there. I didn't know what to think."

Another, who did not want to be named said: "I had heard the fire engines coming. It was clearly something very bad. I saw someone being given CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) treatment."

Other neighbours did not want to talk during the distressing scene.