Disabled children were moved to safety this morning after it was feared fire had erupted at their respite home.

The drama happened at 7am at Fairlawn, in Kingsnorth Road, Ashford, when black smoke was seen billowing out of the roofspace.

Some of the children needed to be carried or put on hoists to be moved.

But firefighters discovered that the smoke was caused by a faulty boiler, not a fire.

Ashford firefighter Justin Venes said: "When we got there, there was black smoke coming out of the roofspace.

"We found no fire in the loft but discovered that the boiler was faulty and was giving out black smoke through the flue.

"We isolated the boiler."

Three fire engines were called to the incident, two from Ashford and one from Aldington.

Staff moved the children in a sideways evacuation, to a safer part of the premises.

Due to the children's disabilities it was decided it would be faster and safer to move them within the premises rather than outside.

Nobody at Fairlawn was available for comment this morning.