Fire officers are warning householders of the dangers of disposing of hot ash.

It follows an incident at the weekend in which firemen were called to a reported flat fire in Woodbourne Road, Douglas, after a neighbour had reported seeing smoke coming from the rear of the building.

Crews found a pan of hot coal ash had been emptied in an out house in the rear yard of the building. Fire damage was confined to the surrounding area and smoke damage was limited, but firemen say the fire could have spread were it not for the prompt call from the member of the public.

The public are being reminded to ensure hot coals and ash are safely disposed of in a metal bucket or something similar, before putting them into any plastic containers such as a wheelie bins.