HOMEOWNERS were left rather red faced after calling out the fire brigade for a gas leak which turned out to be coming from their oven.

Firefighters from Southend and Shoebury were called out to the scene in the Broadway, Thorpe Bay, just before 6.45pm on Thursday evening to reports of a gas leak coming from a flat.

One of the owners of the apartment had already switched the gas off by the mains when the crews arrived.

However, when firefighters turned the mains back on to help locate the exact spot of the leak, they was discovered it was coming from a hob on the properties oven.

It is believed the hob had been left on for up to six hours with one firefighter who attended the scene saying the discovery left the owners rather “embarrassed”.

After switching the mains back off again, firefighters opened windows to help ventilate the flat.