A bungalow was nearly destroyed by an unexplained fire in Sutton this afternoon.

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a three-bedroom detached bungalow on Benhilton Gardens at 1pm.

By the time the fire had been brought under control at 2.30pm, most of the roof and part of the ground floor were destroyed. There were no reports of any injuries.

Peter Scouse, a resident of the area who witnessed the fire, said: "The owners had only recently moved in and were having renovation work undertaken.

"It seems the fire started whilst work was being carried out to lay bitumen on a new flat roof roof extension to the rear of the property.

"It was only minutes after neighbours first saw a small plume of smoke which could well have been a small bonfire, until the whole roof was ablaze and flames were leaping 20' high above the burning roof."

Fire crews from Sutton and Tooting fire stations attended the scene along with colleagues from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.