Sidmouth Fire Station's first 'shout' of 2020 turned out to be a false alarm but the town's firefighters have told residents 'it's better to be safe than sorry'.

The first call out of 2020 for Sidmouth Fire Station came at around 7.35pm yesterday (January 2).

According to a spokesperson from the fire station, a member of the public called 999 after hearing a smoke alarm sounding in a property that was unoccupied.

"The crew arrived at the rural property and could hear the alarms sounding," said the spokesperson.

"There were no signs of fire but because of the alarm sounding access to the property was gained quickly, no damage was caused.

"The alarm was sounding due to a water leak coming through the ceiling. The crew shut off the water supply and drained the boiler stopping the leak. The home owner was contacted and informed of the problem."

The spokesperson added: "The caller did exactly the right thing in calling 999, if you hear a smoke alarm sounding and cannot raise anyone from the property every second may count, it's better to be safe than sorry."