A pensioner has praised firefighters who put out a blaze in the house next door to her Colchester home.

Jean McLaughlin raised the alarm when she and neighbours spotted smoke billowing from the empty end-terrace in Bergholt Road.

Colchester crews were quickly on the scene and snuffed out the flames before the fire could spread.

Mrs McLaughlin told the Gazette: "My daughter was here and she said to me can you smell a fire, mother?' "I said no, but then my neighbour came along and he said yes, he could.

"They went up the back garden, looked down, and they could see the thick, black smoke inside the windows and coming out the back.

She added: "I called the fire brigade and they were here in a couple or three minutes.

"It's lucky I wasn't in bed because I'm sure I wouldn't have smelt it."

Brian Laverick, who lives next-door to Mrs McLaughlin on the other side, said: "We banged on the door to see if there was anyone in there, but we couldn't see anything.

"Jean called the fire brigade and they were there straight away - they were very efficient."

A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said one set of breathing apparatus and one hose reel had been used to put out the fire, which started in the kitchen, at about 10pm on Sunday.