A family with a baby were forced to flee their home as smoke poured into it from a fire in a fish and chip shop below.

The blaze broke out in the kitchen of the Superfish restaurant in Morden on Tuesday. Six diners and a handful of staff also rushed from the building at about 6pm.

The fire is thought to have started when a frying pan on the London Road restaurant’s cooking range caught fire.

Power supplies to the building were quickly shut off as the fire had damaged electricity cables running through the kitchen.

Michael Rhodes, head of the family run business, said no-one was hurt in the incident and Superfish would be back in business as soon as possible.

He said: “It will close for a period of time, but it will re-open.”

A couple and baby who live in a flat above the restaurant left as smoke from the fire poured into their home.

Four fire engines were called to the scene. Firefighters used breathing equipment and thermal imaging devices to tackle the blaze from the rear of the building.

Chris Robinson, one of the fire crew commanders called to the scene, said there had been multiple calls to the emergency services about the blaze - which damaged about 25 per cent of the restaurant.

He said it re-enforced the need for households to fit smoke alarms, and one had now been installed in the family’s flat by the brigade free of charge.