Firefighters are warning home owners to have their chimneys swept before lighting open fires or wood burning stoves for the first time this season following a blaze in a residential street.

Crews were called to Chrysler Avenue, Herne Bay, at around 8pm last night after receiving reports of flames in a flue.

They used rods to put the fire out and returned to their station just before 9pm.

A spokesman for the Kent brigade said: “If you haven’t yet lit your chimney this year, please call a chimney sweep and get it professionally swept.

“Most chimney fires are preventable, regular inspection and cleaning of flues will help prevent fires within chimneys.

“The cost of a chimney sweep is very small - from approximately £40 - when compared to dealing with the damage and cost of repair from a fire.”