A WOMAN was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after accidentally setting fire to her home with a cigarette.

The victim - believed to be in her late 50s - was in bed when the blaze broke out, just before 11pm on Monday.

She managed to get out of her bungalow, in Brooklands, Jaywick, and raise the alarm.

The property was heavily smoke-logged when firefighters arrived.

But she managed to close the bedroom door to prevent the flames from spreading to the rest of her home.

Sub officer, Darren Fearn, based at Clacton Fire Station, said: "The fire is believed to have started when the occupant of the property had been smoking in bed and the cigarette caught fire to the bedding and a pile of clothes.

"Crews quickly extinguished the fire and stopped it spreading to the rest of the property."

The woman was given oxygen at the scene by paramedics and stabilised before being taken to Colchester Hospital.

A fire service spokesman said smoking in bed was a major cause of blazes and urged people not to spark up if there was a danger of falling asleep.

He added: "If you know that someone will continue to smoke in bed ensure that a deep ashtray is available next to the bed."

The Jaywick bungalow was not fitted with smoke alarms.

Fire prevention officers neighbouring properties yesterday afternoon to make sure they had alarms.