Neighbours of a man thought to be living in a converted garage have spoken of their shock after he was found dead after a fire.

Emergency services were called to Rochford Avenue, Chadwell Heath at 1am this morning when the blaze broke out in the garage at the end of a terrace.

Neighbours were evacuated while fire fighters dealt with the incident and a spokesman for the London Ambulance Service confirmed one patient was dead at the scene.

Pensioner Annelise Hipperson, who lives opposite, was awoken in the night after she heard a loud noise.

She said: “I looked out of the window and saw the fire, it was horrible.

“I took in the four children who live in the property next door and gave them blankets to keep warm, they were very scared.

“I saw the body being taken out this morning which was a big shock.”

Another neighbour Steve Marriott said: “I heard some banging and was very concerned when I saw the fire because I didn’t know where it was coming from and whether it was going to spread.

“I left the house with my mother and watched the brigade trying to get it under control.”

Mrs Hipperson and another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said they were sure people were living inside the garage.The family living next door left the scene with police while investigations are carried out but other residents were allowed back into their houses at 2am.

This morning the father, who said his name as Jez and that he had seven children, returned with police to pick up some clothes.

He said he did not have keys to the garage and said he occasionally saw the landlord oing in there.