A fishmonger had a lucky escape after his van burst into flames in the early hours of this morning.

The man, who was on his way to work, broke down in Springfield Road, Wallington, and after getting out of the vehicle, it caught alight.

Firefighters from Wallington were called to tackle the blaze at about 5.40am but said the Mercedes Sprinter was “well alight” when they arrived.

The crew spent 30 minutes extinguishing the fire and used breathing apparatus and two hose reels.