A dog is believed to have saved its master's life by raising the alarm when a fire broke out at a house in Thorpe.

The Jack Russell started barking after candles on top of a television started to burn down, sparking the blaze at about 11.40pm on Monday.

Fire crews from Clacton were called out to the High Street home but because of the dog, the owners had successfully tackled the blaze before they arrived.

A spokesman for Clacton Fire and Rescue Service said: "They were quite lucky. The dog woke the homeowners and they were able to put out the fire."

This morning (Tuesday), the remains of a burnt table were on the pavement outside the house along with the melted candle holders but the heroic hound was nowhere to be seen.

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