Burnt cooking sparked panic overnight on a housing estate hit by a devastating blaze two years ago.

A man is reported to have overcooked food in a pan before opening his front door, sending smoke billowing through a block of flats in Creine Mill Lane North, Canterbury.

Fire crews were alerted and neighbours dashed from their homes into the street shortly after 12.30am.

For some it brought back memories of the devastating blaze of July 2015 which destroyed 15 homes on the Tannery Estate and badly damaged 29 more.

One resident said: “It is so horrible for anybody to experience, let alone anybody that experienced the previous one.

“The reassuring positive we can take from it is that the response from fire brigade is quick and they sent many engines in preparation for the worst.”

A firefighter said the smoke had caused panic among residents, but was easily ventilated.