An elderly man was overcome by smoke in the early hours of this morning after he got trapped in his home when a chip pan caught alight.

The pensioner had to be rescued by firefighters after he breathed in thick smoke while inside the house in Boundary Road, Chatham.

Crews from Medway fire station were called out to the property shortly after 2am and found the man trapped by a downstairs window.

Firefighters using breathing apparatus entered his home and managed to get the man, who was suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, out so they could administer first aid to him.

The homeowner, thought to be about 70, who was barely conscious, was give oxygen at the scene by the crews until paramedics arrived and could take over.

He was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital for treatment and is said to be in a serious condition.

Firefighters said the property was full of think acrid black smoke and the blaze caused a large amount of damage smoke to the man’s kitchen.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: “‘He was extremely lucky we got him out when we did as the home was full of smoke.

“Unfortunately he did have a smoke alarm but the battery had been taken out, it is never a good idea to take batteries out of smoke alarms.”