A 78-year-old woman was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after a kettle caught fire.

The pensioner was asleep at her home in Dicconson Lane, Westhoughton, at about 3am yesterday when the fire started.

A plastic kettle had been left switched on in the kitchen and boiled over, causing the element to catch fire.

Firefighters spent about 20 minutes at the scene.

The woman and her son, who was thought to be staying with her for the night, were woken by a fire alarm and managed to get out of the house.

Watch commander Ady Taylor said: “We isolated the electrics, removed the kettle, and left the fan on to get rid of the smoke. A paramedic arrived to tend to the woman who had suffered smoke inhalation.”