A mother and five children were dramatically rescued by a neighbour in the early hours of Saturday morning after becoming trapped by a fire in their home.

The blaze broke out on the ground floor of a house in Vicarage Place, Margate, and the family were calling for help on the first floor.

A neighbour, coming home from a night out, heard their screams and smashed a small window with a shovel, entered the property and led them to safety.

Firefighters were alerted at 2.18am and crew members went in wearing breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze which had started in an open plan kitchen area. They also rescued the family’s dog which was uninjured.

The family and the man who saved them were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of breathing in smoke.

Margate Watch Manager Paul Ward said: "While we would always advise people not to enter a building on fire, the man’s actions in rescuing this family were extremely brave and with considerable risk to his own safety."

The fire is believed to have started in the electric cooker, which may have been left on accidentally. Around half of the kitchen was destroyed by fire and the remainder of the house was smoke damaged.

Mr Ward added: "It seems that although there was a smoke alarm fitted on the ground floor, it didn’t activate and it appears the batteries may not have been inserted fully.

"Our advice to residents is to ensure that you have working smoke alarms fitted on each floor of your home and to test them regularly to ensure they will provide early warning to a fire."