People were evacuated from the food court at Bluewater Shopping Centre after a fire in a fast food restaurant.

A chip fryer inside McDonald’s at the Greenhithe centre had caught light at around 1pm today.

A witness said she saw “black smoke” coming from the popular fast food restaurant.

Firefighters from Thameside and Dartford were called to the scene after staff attempted to put it out with fire extinguishers but had called for help when they were unsuccessful.

The cause is not yet known, but centre managers said the safety of shoppers was their primary concern.

A spokesman said: "The safety and well being of our guests is our primary concern. We are working closely with Kent Police and Kent Fire & Rescue Service to assist with any further information they require. Bluewater remains open for business as usual."

It took 20 minutes to deal with the blaze. No one was hurt.