A couple who moved into their dream home just weeks ago had to call out the fire service twice in one night.

Matthew and Mandy Aldridge, of Mersea Road, Langenhoe, near Colchester, awoke to find smoke bellowing from their bedroom floor at around 1am on Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the scene and put out the flames.

But within hours the fire had re-emerged in the chimney and the fire service had to be called out a second time.

Mr Aldridge said the problem was down to the chimney being part blocked by old brickwork and there not being a proper flue.

Having moved into their new home more than a month ago, the pair fear their idyllic cottage will need serious work after the flames tore through one of the main support beams.

Mrs Aldridge said they had lit the fire for a couple of hours and put it out at 10pm before going to sleep.

"I woke up and thought I had a sore throat. I could see this glow next to the wall. It is so lucky I did because I could have been frazzled."

Mr Aldridge said: "It has taken out the timbers completely. We are very, very lucky - another ten or 15 minutes and it could have been very, very different.

"It's a double fireplace down there and because there is no flue it just came straight through the middle."

The couple have been forced to move their bed and their belongings into another room.

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