A MAN had to be rescued by fire fighters after fire broke out in the stairwell of a Hampshire hostel in the early hours of this morning.

Fire crews were called amid reports a man could not be woken from his sleep at the Two Saints hostel in Gosport Road, Fareham.

Teams from Fareham and Portchester used breathing apparatus, hose reels and jets as they battled the flames, in a communal stairwell area of the three-storey building.

The man was eventually led to safety and nobody was harmed during the two-hour drama.

The cause of the fire, which broke out at around 1.40am, is under investigation.