Firefighters have warned people not to leave their dishwashers on overnight after one caught fire in a flat.

A crew from Sutton fire station was called to the property in Oldfields Road, West Sutton, where a faulty dishwasher had caught fire at 2am today.

The owner of the appliance treated the flames with a powder fire extinguisher but the machine was still smouldering when the team arrived.

Firefighters had to disconnect the dishwasher from the wall and take it outside to deal with the flames which reignited as they worked.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "We would just recommend that people do not leave their dishwashers to run overnight."

The fire did not spread to the rest of the kitchen but firefighters said the incident could have been much more serious had the blaze not been noticed quickly.