FIVE people - including a child - escaped a fire at a block of flats this morning.

Four crews from St Mary's, Redbridge and Hightown are at the scene in Stokes Court, in the city centre, on the site of The Dell, where the fire started just before 9.30am.

The fire started in a ground floor flat, which was empty at the time, but the three people living immediately above it and a mum and her child on the top floor were able to flee without injury.

Investigations are under way into the cause of the fire, but it is believed it may have been started by candles.

The fire is now out and fire crews are using a fan to clear away the smoke. The extent of the damage inside the flat is not yet known.