A CIGARETTE that was thrown away caused a kitchen fire this morning.

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire in a flat in Willow Road, Great Dunmow and on arrival reported that the house was 50 per cent smoke logged and the fire was in the kitchen.

A fire service spokesman said: "Crews extinguished the fire by 12.10pm and then used positive pressure ventilation fans to clear the house of the smoke.

"After investigation firefighters recorded the cause of the fire as accidental and was due to a cigarette which was not completely extinguished being discarded into a plastic bin."

The fire service also offered the below advice to those who smoke at home.

If you're a smoker or you have a smoker living in your house, make sure you follow our advice to stay safe at home:

- Make sure your all cigarettes are fully extinguished.

- Take extra care when you’re tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning.

- Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don’t light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire.

- Never leave lit cigarettes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down.

- Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn. Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished.

- Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish – and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray.

- Use child safe matches and cigarette lighters and keep them safely out of the reach of children

Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - a working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999.