A car fire is causing gridlock on a busy commuter route.

Traffic built up at the Brookfield Road entrance to the Matalan roundabout in Ashford just before 6pm after the car went up in flames as it was towed on the back of a pick-up truck.

The driver of a passing concrete mixer described how he used his high-pressure water hose to put the flames out before the fire engine arrived.

He said: “The Mercedes was being towed by an AA van and caught fire.

“They had attempted to put it out with fire extinguishers but it didn't work, so as I was approaching the car was bursting into flames from underneath.

“I jumped out and turned on the high-pressure hose on my truck and managed to extinguish the flames and kept damping it down until I was certain it wasn't going to burst into flames again.

“Just after this the fire crew arrived.”

A spokesman for the Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called to a car fire in Brookfield Road in Ashford this evening, but it was out on arrival and therefore no firefighting was needed by the crew.”