Family home 'uninhabitable' after fire

A family's home has been left "uninhabitable" after a fire that spread to four nearby gardens, firefighters said.

Crews were called to a row of terraced homes in Clacton just after 18:30 BST on Monday.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the fire "swiftly spread" to neighbouring gardens but had been extinguished.

It said initial indications suggested the fire started in a garden before "strong winds caused it to spread rapidly through first-floor windows and into the roof space".

Station manager Ryan Aingers said a neighbouring property was "affected by smoke but, importantly, the fire did not spread beyond the original property".

He said crews would remain on site to dampen down the embers to prevent any reignition and check for hotspots.

Clacton South county councillor Mark Webster of Reform UK thanked the fire service on social media.

"Their professionalism undoubtedly protected neighbouring homes," he said.

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