A man in his 60s had to be treated for smoke inhalation yesterday after his kitchen set alight.

The unnamed man, of Shere House, Kingsnympton Estate, Kingston, was treated by London Ambulance Service, before being taken to hospital.

The fire, reported at 2.50pm on Sunday, was believed to have started due to cooking which had been left unattended.

Dave Reeve, Kingston fire station's crew manager, said: "The resident had left his flat before the arrival of us, and his neighbours had called us."

Mr Reeve said the fire was under control quickly and the three fire crews attending had managed to confine the blaze to the kitchen area of the  two-bed flat.

He said the third floor flat did not have a smoke detector.

To arrange a home visit for a free smoke detector fitting and fire safety advice visit london-fire.gov.uk.