It may be June and nights are warm, but that did not stop one householder from lighting a fire.

Their actions caused a chimney fire which was tackled by a crew from Folkestone fire station early today.

Firefighters were called to the terraced property in Black Bull Road, Folkestone, at 2am.

Watch manager Giles Parker said: “The householder had lit some paper in the grate and as the flames went up the chimney they set fire to soot deposits.

“This just highlights how important it is to get chimneys swept. Now is a good time of year to do it before the chimney sweeps get too busy.

“When the nights get colder, we do tend to have a rush of chimney fires which can be avoided if they are swept regulary.”

There was no damage to the house.