FIREFIGHTERS have descended on a south Essex property to tackle a blaze after a hoover left on charge catches alight.

Crews from Hawkwell and Rayleigh were called to Eastview Drive, Rayleigh, at 1.54pm to reports of a fire.

On arrival, the team confirmed it was an incident in a study, followed by them entering the property using breathing apparatus and using hose reel jets to put the flames out by 2.30pm.

Adam Paterson, crew manager, said: “Incidents like this serve as a good reminder as to why we recommend everyone has working smoke alarms on every level of their property.

“Unfortunately, this resident didn’t have a smoke alarm on the ground floor and the one upstairs wasn’t working so didn’t alert them to the fire.

“It's really lucky they realised they could smell smoke and called us straight away.

“Once we extinguished the fire, it was clear that the cause of the fire was a hoover which was left on charge. Please avoid leaving items unattended and on charge for a long periods of time.” 

The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has issued safety advice for charging appliances.

This includes not leaving items on charged or plugged in overnight or while you are out of the house, as well as looking out for the CE mark that indicates charges comply with European safety measures.