Four people were taken to hospital following a house blaze in West Cumbria in the early hours of Sunday.

Paramedics in two ambulances took the four to the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven following the fire in Flimby.

No further information about their conditions has been released.

Crews from Workington and Aspatria were alerted just before 1.50am to reports of the house fire.

A fire had broken out in the kitchen of a property in St Helens Avenue.

Initially the fire service had been informed people were in the house but when they arrived everyone had escaped.

Firefighters used two pieces of breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet to put out the fire.

The teams also gave oxygen to a man at the scene.

It is understood that six people were in the house when the fire broke out, with most asleep upstairs.

No further details have been released.

The fire crews remained at the scene for around an hour and 10 minutes.

* Aspatria firefighters were called out on Saturday afternoon to help prevent a straw fire from spreading at Parsonby.

The crew was sent to help put out the fire in a quantity of smouldering straw at around 4.15pm. They used hose reel jets and rakes to ensure that the fire was put out.