A UNIVERSITY student set fire to his carpet this morning by lighting incense on the floor.

Firefighters were called to a shared house in Milton Road, Southampton at 7.30am to put out the flames.

St Mary's crew manager Martyn Edmiston said: "The chap in there was feeling under the weather and uses incense to make himself feel better, I guess.

"He'd popped off to the toilet and they burnt down or fell over – I believe they were already on the floor.

"There was probably about a metre square damage in the carpet but the students did very well, put the bucket on it and then got out of the house straight away."

Mr Edmiston advised people to put candles and incense on non-burning surfaces and away from carpets or curtains.