A dog has been killed and a house badly damaged by a house fire started by a jar of Nutella.

Sunlight refracted by the jar, used to contain loom bands, focused on blinds, causing them to ignite.

The fire destroyed one bedroom and part of the roof of the house in Twickenham, London, and took 21 firemen to contain.

Charlie Pugsley, from the Brigade's fire investigation unit said:

“It sounds far fetched that a jar containing a few rubber bands caused a severe house fire but that’s exactly what happened. It’s worth spending five minutes checking that your window ledges are clear of any glass or crystal that might lead to potentially life changing blaze.”