A make-up mirror warning has been issued after reflected sunlight caused a £1.5m home to burn down.

Fire investigators have urged home owners to keep glass objects away from windows this summer after the five-bedroom detached property in Brentwood, Essex, was destroyed by a fire.

It is believed that the blaze started after reflected sunlight caused wallpaper within the property to burst into flames.

It caused the roof to cave in within minutes, leaving the redbrick and timber home completely uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage.

Anne Bender, who owns the property, said: "I have never seen anything go up so fast, I was here on my own."

She added that her family home was now a "wreck".

Fire investigators have said that they believe sunlight caused the fire after shining through a front-facing window on to a make-up mirror.

Fire investigation officer, Lee Palfreyman, said: "We believe that the fire started after the sunlight refracted through a window, onto a mirror and back onto curtains or wallpaper.

"The fire quickly spread after flames came out of the window and back into the roof.

"This is the second incident of this nature we've seen this year, and they show how powerful the sun can be.