CLOTHING left under a lamp caught fire at a home in Alfreton.

A woman inside the property in Abbott Road escaped without injury when the blaze broke out in a spare bedroom, despite her smoke alarm not working.

She had been using a sewing machine but turned on the light by accident as it was connected to the same socket, and called fire crews after smelling smoke. They arrived at about 4.20pm yesterday.

Alfreton crew manager Chris Navin said the woman had been lucky as her smoke alarm battery was not working. He said: "If it had happened at night it might have been a different story.

"This case just underlines how important it is to test your alarms regularly."