A young family had a lucky escape after emptying hot ash into a plastic bucket.

The ashes from a log burner, in a detached home in Shorne, melted the bucket and charred the floorboards.

A woman in her 20s, who lives in the home in The Ridgeway with her partner and young child, woke up and called firefighters at 2.30am today.

Strood Fire Station crew manager Peter Harris said: "Had she not happened to wake up I suspect within an hour or two it would have been a serious fire.

"Our advice to people is to use a metal bucket and put it outside. Ash retains heat for a long time."

Fire crews from Strood and Thames-side remained at the scene for just over half an hour.