Firefighters led 22 people, including four young children, to safety after a blaze broke out in a block of flats.

Four crews were called to a property in Wellington Square, Hastings, in the early hours of Saturday when fire broke out on the third floor of the five-storey property, which is divided into 12 flats.

The Wellington Square Baptist Church was turned into an emergency shelter for residents as fire crews fought the flames.

Police were also called to the scene and are investigating the cause of the fire.

The street was cordoned off by police throughout Saturday morning while the investigation was under way.

No one was injured.