FIREFIGHTERS rescued a man from a window ledge when a blaze broke out at his flat above Archway Tavern.

Crews pitched a nine-metre ladder to the window and brought the man to safety shortly before 7am.

He was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. A small area of the bedsit was damaged by fire.

Station manager Neil Guyett, who was at the scene in Navig­ator Square on Monday, said: “Firefighters’ fast actions when they arrived meant he was rescued quickly.

“We believe that the fire was caused by a tea light left un­attended. It’s really important you never leave them un­attended and keep them away from curtains and anything else which can easily catch fire.”

In August, the council’s planning committee rejected leaseholder Dr Imtiaz Sardar’s plans to convert the historic building into a nursery and a wine bar. The pub remains closed.