A COOL-HEADED grandmother raised the alarm after her electric blanket began to scorch her sheets in the early hours of Sunday morning.Firefighters were called out at just after 1.

A COOL-HEADED grandmother raised the alarm after her electric blanket began to scorch her sheets in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Firefighters were called out at just after 1.20am to Long Row, Leiston, after 65-year-old Ann Holmes lifted off the blanket when she became too hot, and discovered that her sheets and the blanket were blackened at one end.

She coolly went downstairs and called the fire service, which took just over 50 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Although there were no flames, the smouldering blanket caused the bedroom to become heavily smoke-logged by the time firefighters arrived. Their efforts were hampered by the narrowness of the access road.

Mrs Holmes was given oxygen for potential smoke inhalation as a precaution.

"By the time they came, the room was full of horrible, acrid smoke," she said. "The whole blanket was hot, but I thought it would cool down after a while."

She added: "I'm fine. I didn't really panic. I knew it was a job for the fire brigade."