A woman has been arrested following a suspected arson on a Westcliff home.

The fire started in the lounge of a house in Lavender Mews, Westcliff, after a pile of clothes caught alight. It was thought to be a domestic incident.

A woman and her daughter were awake upstairs and were alerted by a smoke alarm at about 11.50pm on Friday. The pair escaped uninjured.

Firefighters from Leigh and Hadleigh spent about 15 minutes dousing the flames but the house was left with smoke damage.

A 36-year-old woman was arrested at the scene.