A house in Plaistow escaped serious damage after a fire - thanks to a smoke alarm.

The occupants were watching television when it broke out in another room at the property in Upland Road just before 9pm on Monday night.

Crews from Plaistow station tackled the blaze, which was under control by 10.30pm.

It caused no lasting damage and nobody was hurt,

A Plaistow crew member said a child stumbled across “decorating equipment” which had caught alight, triggering the smoke alarm and alerting the residents.