A family who woke to a crackling noise thought it was coming from a radio - but soon realised flames were spreading through their house.

The couple and their two children were alerted to the blaze in a bedroom of their home in Broadway, Gillingham just before 7am when their smoke alarm sounded.

The mother managed to get the children out of the house, while the father attempted to tackle the flames by taking furniture and cuddly toys to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, this resulted in the fire spreading to the bathroom and the man suffering from the effects of breathing in smoke.

Two fire engines were sent to the scene, and arrived within minutes of receiving the 999 call.

Neighbours comforted the family until a Red Cross Victim Support team arrived.

The man was taken to hospital for checks.

The fire caused 40% fire damage to the bedroom and 10% to the bathroom. The upper floor of the house was 90% smoke damaged.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a fault within an electrical socket.