Firefighters were called to a kitchen in Woosehill this afternoon after a cardboard box containing books caught fire after being placed on a cooker.

Crews from Wokingham Road, Reading, and Wokingham attended the incident in Aquila Close at about noon, where the box was up in flames.

The female occupant had placed the box onto the cooker while she was moving furniture around after recently having her home redecorated.

As she was walking past the cooker, she brushed it with her arm, causing it to switch on.

The box caught fire, burning the adjacent microwave, the cooker itself and the extractor fan. The kitchen also suffered minor smoke damage.

Firefighters spent about 45 minutes dousing the flames with a hose reel before making sure all electrical appliances were safe.

Wokingham Road watch manager Roy Buckland said: "We would just like to warn residents not to put any flammable items onto cookers or stoves which could set them alight."