Fires at different ends of the Shotley peninsula stretched Suffolk Fire Service last night.

Holbrook fire crew were called to a chimney fire at Orwell View Road, Shotley at 9pm, while an engine from Ipswich's Princes Street attending a blaze at Palfrey Heights, Brantham 20 minutes later.

Leroy Harward, home-owner where the chimney fire took hold, escaped unhurt with his three children and praised the fire crew.

"Me and the children were in the house but got out," said Mr Harward. "The fire department were brilliant, they got here very quickly and they sorted it out for me."

Both fires were extinguished within 45 minutes, and one one crew were needed at each incident, with no reports of any casualties.

The call outs were among 20 incidents dealt with by Suffolk's fire crews within 24 hours.