A family returned from a shopping trip to find their house ablaze.

They were made homeless when their house was wrecked by the fire. Everything was destroyed in the blaze, including Christmas presents.

Martin Luff, of Harwich Road, Little Clacton, had been out shopping with his wife Claire and two daughters when the fire started.

Mr Luff, 29, said: "We got back from shopping at 1.30pm and it was well ablaze."

He said he opened the door and was hit with a wall of smoke and was unable to see or breathe.

"We couldn't even stand there with the heat and smoke. It was just unbelievable.

"All the Christmas presents, you name it, it's gone. It has either melted or was covered in smoke."

Two fire crews from Clacton were called to the scene on Monday.

No-one was in the house at the time, but the family dog died in the fire.

It took an hour and a half to bring the blaze under control.

Mr Luff, a lorry driver, has taken the rest of the week off work and the family are currently staying with friends and family.

He said his daughters Fern, three, and Cerys, one, had lost their Christmas presents.

The fire brigade believe the cause of the fire was an electrical fault under the stairs.

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