A FAMILY have been made homeless after a faulty plug socket sparked a devastating blaze.

Michelle Telford, her five children and her grandaughter fled the house in Maine Crescent, Rayleigh, after it was engulfed in flames.

Nearly everything in the house has been destroyed, but Mrs Telford had cancelled the contents insurance because she could not afford the premium.

Daughter Laura, 17, raised the alarm after noticing flames coming from the plug socket in her mum’s bedroom.

Mrs Telford, 44, said: “By the time I had run upstairs the fire was spreading across all of the walls. My eldest and her two-year-old baby, Evie, were in the bath at the time so we had to scream at them to get out and they rushed downstairs with nothing on.

“By the time the fire service arrived, five minutes later, the whole upstairs was completely destroyed. I just can’t believe how quickly it happened.

We’re lucky it wasn’t a few hours earlier when we were in bed.”

The family escaped unharmed from the blaze on Saturday, at 8.45am.

They have been given emergency accommodation at the Oysterfleet, on Canvey, until today, but they are desperately searching for a more permanent solution.

A neighbour is looking after the family’s two dogs.

Other kind-hearted neighbours have done their bit to help by doing washing or lending their own clothes.

Mrs Telford is hopeful her housing association, Family Mosaic, will be able to help, describing the staff as “unsung heroes.”

She said: “My whole life was in there and now it has all gone.

“We were due to go on holiday to Majorca in three weeks time and have been collecting stuff all year for it, but now the new clothes we saved so hard for have all gone. I don’t knowwhat we’re going to do .”

Firefighters spent 40 minutes battling the flames.

The Red Cross also attended to give the family essentials.