AN elderly couple were forced to flee their bungalow after a fire started in their loft as a result of a suspected electrical fault.

Firefighters from Clacton and Weeley rushed to a property in Johnson Road, St Osyth, shortly after 9.15am today.

Upon arrival the two crews established a bungalow's loft space was ablaze and heavily smoked logged.

Within half an hour, however, firefighters had managed to safely extinguish the fire. 

Crew Manager Peter Woodiwiss from Clacton Fire Station has now reiterated the importance of having a working fire alarm.

He said: “We’d really like to praise this couple who were quick to leave their house when hearing their smoke alarms going off.

"This is exactly what we recommend if you discover a fire in your home - get out, stay out and call the fire service out.

“This incident really highlights the importance of having working smoke alarms and shows how they are there to give us an early warning to a fire and give us time to get out of the house safely.”