FIREFIGHTERS are warning people to make sure they have working smoke alarms after a family was rescued from a house fire today.

Fire crews from Dee Road, Wokingham Road and Caversham Road were called at 11am to Wykeham Road in east Reading after a dishwasher caught fire.

Crew manager James Blake said: "The husband and wife and their young son had made their way out of the house by the time we arrived, but smoke was coming out of the windows and the kitchen was well alight."

Firefighters spent just under two hours at the scene and managed to contain the fire to the kitchen, but the entire house was damaged by smoke.

Mr Blake added: "The family did not have any smoke alarms, so we obviously appeal to people to make sure they use working smoke alarms to prevent these things happening."