An investigation is under way after an elderly couple were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of what police have described as "inhaling a noxious substance."

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the house in the isolated hamlet of Buryas Bridge, near Newlyn, West Cornwall, just before 8am yesterday. It is understood that a carer raised the alarm after arriving at the house and becoming concerned for the welfare of the people inside, one of whom it is thought had health problems.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the couple, who are in their 80s, were taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Truro suffering from the effects of inhaling a "noxious substance."

However, it is understood that the substance was not produced from a faulty appliance in the house.

It is believed there was a petrol generator in the premises and this was producing the fumes which overpowered the couple. The police spokesman said the couple's next of kin had been informed and had been to see them in the hospital.

The couple are said to be in a stable condition.

A police investigation is now underway into the circumstances surrounding the incident.