A FAMILY of four fled through an upstairs window when the shop below their flat was deliberately set on fire.

The shopkeeper, his wife and two children, aged seven and 13, knotted sheets together and hung them out of the window before clambering down to safety.

Police say the fire which broke out in Tovil Newsagents and Post Office in Church Street, Tovil, Maidstone, in the early hours of this morning was an arson attack.

The family did not want to speak publicly about the incident, and are now understood to be living in bed and breakfast accommodation. They have been running the shop for four months.

The owner of the shop and postmaster, Kanagasundaram Prince, went straight to the scene from his home in Alma Place, Strood, as soon as he heard what was happening.

He said the shopkeeper had been sleeping when the fire began.

Mr Prince said: "The alarm went off first and he heard noises - he thought somebody was robbing the shop and he didn’t want to come down.

"But things were falling down because of the fire. They tried to come down the fire escape but there was too much smoke. They tied sheets together and slid down them."

Mr Prince, who bought the shop a year ago, said he was "shocked" when he saw the damage done, but added: "My concern was for the family living upstairs. At least everyone’s alive. Goods you can replace but not people."

Everything in the shop has been damaged by smoke or fire, but Mr Prince still hopes to have the Post Office open again tomorrow (Wednesday), after he has cleaned up.

An off-duty firefighter from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service came to the aid of the family. He suffered a minor injury to his wrist.

Two fire crews from Blue Watch, Maidstone were, also called to the blaze at about 12.53am.

They wore breathing apparatus and used hose reel jets to douse the flames. The fire was out by 1.20am.

Police are now treating the incident as arson and are also making inquiries as to whether it was a racially motivated attack.

Officers would like to speak to a man seen in the area around the time of the fire. He is described as being around 5ft 9in tall with a medium build and wearing a white/grey hoodie.

Anyone with any further information should contact Maidstone police station on 01622 604283 or call Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A steady stream of customers arrived at the newsagents’ today to find it closed.

June Allen, 41, from Quarry Road, Tovil, said: "It’s my local Post Office. I’ve lived on this estate all my life and nothing like this has happened before at all.

"I’m really shocked that anybody could be so careless and do this. It’s a shame because they are such nice people in there."

One customer, who said she goes to the newsagent’s for her paper and pension, said: "I feel sorry for the family inside. I think it was a dreadful thing to do."