A 12-year-old boy has been left with burns after a chip pan caught fire.

The child had managed to put out the flames by using a wet towel but then was splashed with hot oil when he carried the pan outside his home in Pawsons Road, Norbury.

Firefighters treated him for burns before an ambulance arrived just after 5pm yesterday (Wednesday, May 28).

He was then taken to Croydon University Hospital for treatment to the burns on his forearms.

Watch manager Robert Scrivener, from Norbury fire station, has issued fire safety advice.

He said: “Never fill a chip pan up more than a third full of oil and dry food before putting it in the pan.

“If the oil has started to smoke then turn it off and let it cool down and never leave cooking unattended.

“If it does catch fire then do not take any risks and do not move the pan, turn off the heat and do not ever throw water on it.

“Leave the kitchen, shut the door and call 999 – get out and stay out.”