FIREFIGHTERS were called to a blaze in a kitchen in Brightlingsea after items left on a hob caught alight.

On-call fire crews from Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe were called to a home in Chapel Road at about 2.20pm on Monday.

On arrival, the crews reported that the kitchen of the property was smoke logged.

They gained access to the home and had extinguished the fire by 2.43pm.

A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service issued a warning to people to make sure cooking appliances are turned off.

He added: "Firefighters believe the fire was caused when the hob was accidentally turned on and are advising residents not to leave items on the hob and to keep the area clear after cooking.

"Where possible, always switch cooking appliances off at the switch."

Firefighters from Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe fire stations are on-call firefighters, which they live or work within five minutes of an on-call fire station and attend incidents when paged.

The brigade said it is currently looking for more on-call firefighters.

It said those who live or work within five minutes of an on-call fire station could be paid to protect their community.

Find out more about the role at join.essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call.