A SEVERE house blaze in Greenlands has prompted fire chiefs to warn residents not to overload plug sockets in their homes.

Redditch fire crews were called to the kitchen fire at the four-storey terraced house in Granhill Close at about 7.45pm last Thursday.

Two crews used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to fight the blaze and performed a thorough search of the house after reports there were people inside.

But Hereford and Worcester fire spokesman Alec Mackie said: "We checked all over the house and made sure no-one was trapped. Nobody was inside and everyone was accounted for.

"The fire caused a lot of smoke damage and crews stayed there for two hours tidying up."

He added: "We believe the fire started as a result of an electrical fault which may have been caused by overloading wall sockets with more than one plug."

Mr Mackie advised people they should only use one plug per socket to prevent any risk of fire.

He said: "When plugs are overloaded, they can cause the fuse to blow then a spark can fly, which can start a fire.

"Overloading plugs is just a fire waiting to happen and we'd urge people to check sockets to prevent this sort of thing happening again."