A MOTHER and her daughter had a lucky escape after they fell asleep with cooking on the hob.

Firefighters from Caversham, Wokingham and Dee Road were forced to break into their home on Mayfield Drive in Caversham at around 6.20am this morning (July 11).

The crews were warned by an alert neighbour, who could smell burning come from the house.

The occupants did have a smoke alarm, but because it had not been fitted correctly the alarm never sounded.

When emergency services arrived at the property there was no answer at the door and when they forced entry they found pans being used on the cooker.

The mother and daugther were both unharmed despite sleeping through the majority of the blaze and the only damage to the kitchen was the pan which was left on the heat.

Crews were on the scene in Caversham for around half an hour and two new working smoking alarms were installed.

Watch Manager James Dowd, from Caversham Road Fire Station, said: “This incident reinforces the importance of never leaving cooking unattended.

“If you are tired after a long day or if you’ve been drinking or taking medication, our advice is not to cook.

"If you lose your attention, a fire could easily spread and it could have damaging consequences for you, your friends and your family.

“We also strongly advise you to check your smoke alarms once a week if possible, to make sure they can be there for you in your time of need.”

For more information about cooking safely and fitting smoke alarms in your home so that they alert you if a fire does start, please go to http://www.rbfrs.co.uk/your-safety/home/http://www.rbfrs.co.uk/your-safety/home/