by Emma Grove

A mother and her three young children have had to be temporarily re-homed after a fire destroyed the upstairs of their home.

The blaze in a rear bedroom at the house in Langley Road, Milton Regis, was started after a bedside lamp fell onto some bedding and clothing.

The bulb in the lamp was not a low-energy one. It happened at about 1pm on Monday in the semi-detached Swale Housing property. The family was due to be re-homed by the housing association on June 18.

The 24-year-old woman, who has three children aged one, three and six, was in the garden when she was alerted to the fire by one of the youngsters.

She ran into the house, got the children out and then put some of the burning clothes into the bath.

The fire was so well developed by the time she had done this, she was forced to leave the property herself.

For the full story, see this week's Sittingbourne Messenger