Quote:Firefighters were called to the home of the Manchester United and England defender Chris Smalling after his hot tub caught fire on Tuesday night. It is understood an electrical fault may have led to a blaze in the garden of the player’s home in Bowdon, Altrincham.

A statement from Greater Manchester fire and rescue service confirmed a crew from Altrincham fire station had attended after police initially reported the blaze. The statement added: “There was nobody in the house at the time of the incident.”

The watch manager Stuart France said: “Police were in the area when they spotted smoke and reported a fire to our control centre. When we arrived it was quite a large fire involving a Jacuzzi 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.”

The 25-year-old Smalling had earlier posted a message and photograph on his Instagram account suggesting he was enjoying a poker night with friends. It read: “Lads Night! #pokernight #championsleague.”