Firefighters have praised a Southborough mum for her quick thinking, as she saved her sleeping son from toxic smoke.

Karen Major, from Speldhurst Road, was watching a film when she heard a popping sound coming from her son's bedroom on Friday, February 9.

The 47-year-old headed upstairs, where she discovered her son Sam asleep, surrounded by thick grey smoke.

She discovered a charging bag had burst after the remote control car battery within had exploded, leaving scorch marks on the bedroom carpet.

Charging bags are often sold alongside batteries, as they offer fireproof protection in the event a battery overheats and explodes.

Miss Major said: "When I saw what had happened in Sam’s room I considered throwing the battery out of the window, but I decided the best thing to do was to get Sam and I out to safety and call Kent Fire and Rescue Service."

On arrival, firefighters removed the bag and used a pressure fan to clear the house of smoke.

Jason Visser, watch manager for Southborough, said: “Sam’s mum did the right thing and got both of them out of the house as quickly as possible.

"This incident could have had a very different ending if the battery wasn’t in a charging bag - Sam had a very lucky escape.

"The overheating battery had the potential to be a silent killer - there were no flames, just toxic smoke and fumes.

“We were also able to fit new smoke detectors in the property.”

KFRS advises residents to charge batteries on a non-flammable service in a room with a smoke detector.

Following the family's near miss, the assistant bookkeeper said: “I truly believe the charging bag saved Sam’s life. If the battery hadn’t of been in the bag, I think things would have been very different.

"I will never let those type of batteries be charged in the bedroom again, especially not on carpet, and I’ll always use a charging bag.

“I contacted the toy manufacturer, not to blame them, but to urge them to encourage customers to buy charging bags when purchasing these sorts of batteries – they’re only about £7.”