A MOTHER and her three children were ­taken to hospital after an evening blaze in North Lanarkshire.

The incident at Derby Wynd in Carfin happened on Wednesday at around 8.40pm.

Two emergency crews rushed to the scene to find the blaze had taken hold of the living room in the family home.

Firefighters rescued the family and called for back-up from paramedics, before putting out the flames using a high pressure jet.

Station manager Thomas Sinton said crews "assisted a family who were suffering slight smoke inhalation and requested the attendance of our Scottish Ambulance Service colleagues, who determined the woman and three children should receive precautionary check-ups in hospital".

Firefighters checked for any signs of hidden fire spread, and ventilated the house using a pressure fan before leaving the site two hours later, at 10.30pm.