Three people were saved by a smoke detector following a fire at a house in Broughton, near Banbury, last night.

The device, which had had a new battery fitted only last weekend, alerted the occupants of the property in Main Road when an electric grill caught fire.

Two fire crews were alerted, and minimal damage was caused to the property.

A fire service spokesman said:

"Without the early operation of the alarm, the damage to the property would have been far greater and the three lives would have been put at risk."