A house fire in Colchester could have been caused by a petrol bomb, police have said.

Fire crews were called to Maypole Green Road at about 3.30am.

A police spokesman said no-one had been injured as the occupants had managed to escape from the house.

Appliances from Colchester and West Mersea attended and extinguished the fire by 3.50am.

The spokesman added that various items around the property were found, which led detectives to believe it was deliberate, including a bottle of flammable liquid.

Officers left the scene just after 6am and have evidence from nearby CCTV cameras to investigate.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.