A kitchen was left badly damaged after a chip pan fire in Westcliff.

Firefighters from Leigh and Southend attended reports of a kitchen fire in a ground floor flat in London Road.

The fire, which took place last night (August 4) at around 11.10pm, broke out after a resident put a pan of oil on the hob and went back to play a video game.

Temporary crew manager Grant Jones, said: "The other occupant woke up and smelt the smoke.

"When they noticed the fire, they did the right thing - they got out, stayed out and called 999."

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Crews worked to extinguish the fire by 11.35pm and used a fan to clear the smoke.

The kitchen was left badly damaged.

Temporary Crew Manager Jones said: "Try not to get distracted if you are cooking - particularly if you are using hot oil. 

"Also, make sure you have working smoke alarms in your home. Unfortunately, the smoke alarms in this property were not working so the occupants did not get an early warning."

To arrange a free smoke alarm fitting, call 0300 303 0088 or visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book.