A young mum and her three children were rescued last night after becoming trapped in the upstairs of their home by fire.

Crews were called just after 10pm by the woman saying she and her family - a boy and two babies - had no way of getting out.

She had been alerted when a smoke alarm went off and woke her up.

As appliances from Christchurch, Springbourne and Redhill made their way to the scene in Iford Gardens, Bournemouth, a control room operator talked the woman through the emergency.

The mum was able to gather all the children in one room and block gaps in the door to prevent smoke coming through.

She then opened a window to allow fire crews to gain entry and safely evacuate everyone, within 15 minutes of the 999 call, using an extension ladder.

The blaze was traced to a faulty pump in the dishwasher in the kitchen.

A spokeswoman for Dorset Fire Brigade said the first crew was on the scene within four minutes and 20 firefighters were there inside eight minutes.

She said: "The control room operator was able to give vital fire safety advice as the incident unfolded and to find it exactly what the circumstances were."

She also praised the "calm and efficient" way in which the 999 operator dealt with the emergency.

"The incident also underlines the importance of having working smoke alarms," she added.

The property sustained smoke damage.