Elderly residents were offered refuge in a nearby pub when they were forced to flee their homes due to a fire.

A handful of people were evacuated from a block of retirement flats in Southchurch Boulevard in the early hours of this morning after a fire broke out on the ground floor.

Firefighters asked the majority of residents to stay inside their homes but some were asked to leave for safety reasons.

They would have been left outside in the cold had it not been for the landlord at the Old Walnut Tree pub opposite, who kindly let them inside.

They were offered blankets and warm drinks while they waited for the-all clear to return to their homes.

Landlord Dean Harris-Eckett said: “We’d closed by about 11.30pm so I was all safely tucked up asleep when it happened.

“I could hear knocking downstairs so came down to find it was a firefighter.

They asked if I could let the people inside and I was happy to.

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“I popped the kettle on and offered them all some coffee.

“They were inside until about 4am so it was a long night for them. But we were happy to help.

"Pubs are all about the community and being there for people.

“We certainly didn’t want them to stay outside all night.”

Around five different fire crews were called to deal with the incident and were able to keep it contained in just a single flat.

The flames were extinguished by 2am and an investigation is underway to establish the cause of the fire.

Some communal areas on the first and second floor were said to be smoke-logged after the fire.