The daughter of a pensioner who died in the street following a fire at his home in Sheerness has praised firefighters and ambulance crews for trying to save his life.

Bill "Jock" Garner, who was 91 in November, died on Tuesday afternoon after the fire in his mid-terraced home in James Street.

Daughter Judy Moor, 63, of nearby Ranelagh Road, said: "I know the emergency services did all they could to save him and I would like to publicly praise them.

"He would often sleep during the middle of the day and I have been told that the probable cause of his death was breathing in toxic fumes from a burning sofa. It is believed a radio on the sofa had an electrical fault but I am still awaiting official forensic reports.

"Dad had lived there for 63 years and he had been a widow since 1972."

For full story see next week's Sheerness Times Guardian