A mother and her baby were taken to hospital after their house caught fire last night.

The pair, along with the child’s 50-year-old grandmother, managed to escape the blaze which started in their kitchen at about 9pm.

But all three inhaled some smoke as they were getting out of the home in Maywater Close, Sanderstead, and the 22-year-old woman and her 22-month-old baby were taken to Croydon University Hospital by ambulance.

It is not yet known how seriously ill the mother and baby are.

Firefighters from Purley and Croydon tackled the blaze which was caused by an electrical fault with the tumble dryer.

The crews were there until about 11.45pm.

The ground floor of the property was quite badly damaged by the fire and smoke.