A mother has been arrested following a house fire in Headcorn.

Police said the Sunday night blaze was not suspicious but arrested 40-old-year Dawn Nash shortly afterwards on a matter related to the fire. She has been released on bail.

Neighbours risked their lives to rescue Mrs Nash's two small children, Kristian and Emma, who were trapped in the house.

Four fire crews went to Knaves Acre, Headcorn, at just after 7.20pm on Sunday after reports that two children, aged six and three, were trapped in a house fire.

Neighbours Sarah-Jo and Anthony Vane, and Mrs Vane's sister Laura Jefferson, were alerted to the blaze when another neighbour knocked on their door.

Miss Jefferson, who works as a teacher at Canterbury High School, said she could hear the children screaming as they approached the home.

Mrs Vane broke through a garage door to get to the back of the house.

She said: "I scrabbled up some trellising and on to a conservatory roof. I could see the little girl huddled and the little boy was near the window. It was thick with smoke."

As the downstairs windows started to smash, Miss Jefferson managed to force open the window and tried unsuccessfully to pull the children out.

At that point her brother-in-law put a ladder to the window and climbed up and grabbed the six-year-old boy.

Miss Jefferson said: "The smoke was so thick at this point that I didn't think Anthony would be able to get back up the ladder, but he did."

Mr Vane pulled the other child free and Miss Jefferson jumped from the conservatory roof and was caught by her sister.

She said: "There were bangs and explosions everywhere, we all just ran for cover."

The children were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were on the scene until 11.30pm .

Mrs Nash has been bailed until March 12.