A neighbour has told how he watched a man set light to himself inside a car and then put the flames out before fleeing to his home at the start of an eight-hour siege.

The drama began in Wood Lane, Darenth, when the man allegedly threw a brick at the neighbour's Mercedes and then ran to his own Mini.

The witness tried to prevent him driving away by putting his leg through the open driver's door just as the man lit a match, setting fire to himself.

The witness, who asked not to be named, told how his own leg caught fire and the man then rolled on his lawn to put the flames out.

More details have emerged after the drama on Friday afternoon.

It led to an eight-hour stand-off with police that ended with a man being taken into custody.

He was assessed by medical specialists before being bailed.

It is understood specialist police negotiators were brought in to help at the scene.

Stunned neighbours have been recalling a series of bizarre events that led to the siege.

At the height of the incident, onlooker 16-year-old Oli Horwood counted 17 police cars, four ambulance cars and vans and two fire engines, as well as armed police and dog units, in and around the residential street.

According to the man's next-door neighbour, who did not wish to be named, it started when the man began hurling bricks at other people's property.

The neighbour heard "strange crunching sounds" and saw the man throw a brick at his son's silver Mercedes, smashing the windscreen.

He said: "I shouted 'what are you doing?' to him, but he just shouted back, 'call the police, call the police'.

"Then he ran and jumped into his Mini. I thought he was going to drive off so I went round the other side, opened the door and put my foot in the foot well to stop him closing the door and driving off.

"Then I saw him strike a match and drop it in the car and the whole thing went up in flames.

"The entire left side of his body was on fire and it also caught the bottom of my leg.

"I managed to get out and wasn't too badly burnt, and then he got out the Mini and started rolling around on the grass to put out the flames on himself. Then he ran back inside his house."

The neighbour grabbed a fire extinguisher from his house, which he used to put out the blazing car while he waiting for the emergency services.

Wood Lane was closed for eight hours between 2pm and 10pm while emergency service crews tried to talk the man out of his house.

The witness added: "He had barricaded himself in and was threatening to torch the place with litres and litres of petrol he said he had stashed there.

"He was demanding to speak to a certain social worker as well, but it turns out she hadn't been working for years and they eventually talked him out.

"Maybe he just hadn't taken his medication or something. I don't believe it was a suicide attempt – he could have done it in his back garden without being disturbed.

"He wanted it all to be on show, it was probably a cry for help."

A man aged 60 was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and was taken to Darent Valley Hospital for assessment, where he remains.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Officers would like to thank members of the public for their co-operation and patience during the incident."