Firefighters battled two house fires after they broke out in Shropshire, with a pensioner rushed to hospital after being overcome by smoke in one of the blazes.

The woman, believed to be in her 80s, was taken to hospital following a fire in Ludlow on Saturday.

And yesterday a Telford family was forced to flee from their Malinslee home after a fire broke out. It is thought the fire started after a child accidentally set fire to a soft toy.

The Ludlow incident happened at a bungalow in Bringewood Rise on Saturday morning.

Crews from Ludlow, Craven Arms and Tenbury Wells spent 40 minutes on site and ambulance crews were also called.

John Hawker, a spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “The patient, a woman believed to be in her 80s, was taken to Ludlow minor injuries unit.

Firefighters, equipped with breathing gear, used two hose reel jets and one covering jet to fight the fire.

Meanwhile, in Malinslee, a family was forced to flee their home yesterday morning.

One adult and three children had to leave the house after the blaze broke out at about 10am.

Fire crews from Telford and Wellington went to the address where they used a hose reel jet to douse the flames.

Matthew Lamb, watch manager at Telford Fire Station, said: “It looks like it was an accident. It appears a girl was playing in her bedroom where she lit a soft toy with a lighter.

“Most of the damage was upstairs and fire investigators are looking into it. An ambulance was called but no one was taken to hospital.”

Mr Lamb added the family was allowed back into the house after crews left.