A woman was hospitalised after fire broke out at a sheltered accommodation block in Croydon early this morning.

Part of a ground floor flat in the four-storey building on Chart Close was damaged by the blaze, which took two engines and around ten firefighters to bring under control at 1.35am.

Two women left the property before the arrival of emergency services. They were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and one was taken to hospital.

Fire crews from Twickenham and Croydon fire stations attended the scene.