Carlisle fire crews had to force their way into a city centre flat to deal with a "smouldering" Bluetooth speaker.

Firefighters from Carlisle's east and west fire stations were called at about midday yesterday to a flat on Warwick Square, just off Warwick Road close to the city centre.

A spokesman for Carlisle west fire station explained: "We had to force entry to a flat where there was smoke in the property to find a Bluetooth speaker had been smouldering on a bedside table.

"It appears the battery overheated and caused melting to the plastic casing."

Thankfully, nobody was hurt as a result, and the damage was limited to the speaker itself - as well as some scorch marks left on the table and nearby wall.

The spokesman for Carlisle west added: "There are no concerns about this being a regular occurrence with this kind of technology at this time.

"But we do recommend unplugging them, unless in use, and to use only the charger and cable that came boxed with the product.

"Replacement should be like for like."