Fire warning issued after toy car sparks house fire

Firefighters have issued a warning after a remote control toy car was the cause of a house fire.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started at about 22:30 BST on Wednesday, after the car was left on charge at the home in Ingleby Road, Sawley.

The occupants were out at the time, so no-one was injured, but the service said the blaze caused "quite a bit of damage".

It advised people to avoid charging devices while sleeping or out of the house.

Rory Carroll, of consumer safety charity Electrical Safety First, echoed calls for people not to charge their devices unattended.

He added: "Always use the correct charger for your device, avoid overcharging your product, and never charge items on soft furnishings that might contribute to a product overheating.

"We're also urging extra caution with gadgets powered by lithium-ion batteries, such as some toy cars, e-bikes, e-scooters and vapes, where poor-quality chargers or even using an incompatible charger can significantly increase the risk of fire."

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