A family of four have been left homeless after a kitchen fire destroyed their home.

The fire, on Newington Avenue, Southend, was discovered by a member of the family this morning, after there were no working smoke alarms inside.

It has been confirmed that the fire started after cooking was left unattended and allowed to spread to candles placed near to the cooker.

When crews arrived, the property was completely smoke logged and the fire had already spread throughout the kitchen.

A spokesman from the Essex Fire, said: "Firefighters were called to the property after the fire was discovered by one of the occupants.

"There were no working smoke alarms to alert them to the fire sooner.

"Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire and ventilate the home by 8.08am, but sadly the damage caused by the smoke has left it uninhabitable."

Scott Ford, Watch Manager at Southend Fire Station, said: "This is clearly a very sad incident where a family have lost their home as a result of fire.

"Firefighters worked hard to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible, but sadly the fire had already been allowed to develop because there were no working smoke alarms.

"I would urge anyone who doesn't have working smoke alarms in their home to call our Home Safety team today to arrange yours to be fitted for free - it's just simply not worth running the risk of your family's safety and going without them.

"It's easy to be distracted when cooking, but you should keep an eye on it at all times - and keep the area around it clear of flammable objects.

"As we've seen here this morning, fires can very quickly become devastating."