Householders had to evacuate their home on Christmas Day after a smoke alarm went off.

Fire crews from Lostwithiel, Bodmin and St Austell responded to a 999 call reporting a smell of smoke inside the property in Hillside Gardens, Lostwithiel.

Firefighters found combustible materials were too close to a fire and were heating up enough to give off fumes that set off the alarm.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘The smoke detectors in this property were sensitive enough to warn of a fire before it developed.

‘The occupants were given vital extra time to get to safety, which if this had happened at night, would have probably saved their lives.’