AN UPMARKET flat was engulfed in smoke today after a couple left a pan filled with boiling water on the stove and forgot to turn it off.

Firefighters were called to the apartment in West Drive, Sonning, where they met with thick plumes of black smoke.

It immediately became clear a boiling pan had been left on the stove and the residents had forgotten about it before leaving the building.

There was no significant damage to the property.

A spokesman for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called to a flat fire in West Drive at approximately 2pm.

“The couple had gone out but they left a boiling pan and forgotten to turn it off. There was smoke but no fire damage.”