Man escaped flat fire in South Tyneside

Fire crews from Hebburn and South Shields were called to a ground floor flat on fire in Berkley Way at 6.44pm today.

A spokesman for the Hebburn station said the 52-year-old male occupant had left the property and alerted his neighbours by the time fire crews arrived.

He said the blaze was contained in the bedroom and the hallway so they had no need to evacuate the all the building.

Crews were on the scene for about an hour and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.