Firefighters were reportedly called to the home of Manchester United defender Chris Smalling after his hot tub caught fire.

On Tuesday night, police spotted smoke coming from Smalling's property in Bowdon, Altrincham and upon investigating, noticed that the whirlpool bath had caught alight.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that just after 8pm, the team tackled the blaze, which had spread to nearby decking, and that an electrical fault appeared to be the cause.

The Manchester Evening News quotes watch manager Stuart France as saying: "When we arrived it was quite a large fire involving a whirlpool bath and decking, which could have easily become something more serious.

"The police officers who were at the scene used a garden hose on the fire and when we arrived we extinguished it using a hose reel. The most likely cause was an accidental electrical fault."

Smalling is understood to have not been at home when the fire occurred.