A Morden family has had a lucky escape after a fire started in their home while they were sleeping.

The fire, in Hazelwood Avenue, is believed to have been caused after two electric heaters plugged into an extension socket, which was then plugged in to an extension reel, overloaded the electrics.

Watch Manager Andy McKay, who was at the scene, said: “The family’s boiler had broken and while they were waiting for it to be repaired, were all sleeping downstairs in the front room on air mattresses and using electric heaters to keep them warm.

"The heaters were both plugged in to the same extension socket and this caused the electrics to overload, causing a small fire in the front room as a result.

“People should always make sure they don’t overload their extension leads as some appliances use more power than others and never plug extension cables into one another.

“It's also important to fully unwind drum extensions leads. If you leave them coiled, they can overheat and cause a fire.”

An occupant of the property was in at the time of the fire and they raised the alarm and there were no injuries.

Part of the ground floor of the property was damaged by fire.