Two teenage boys have been arrested after a hedgerow caught alight and spread to a nearby corn field in what is being treated as an arson attack.

Five fire engines attended the blaze off Shirehall Road, in Hawley, Dartford.

Crews attended shortly after 5.20pm yesterday following reports of a hedgerow alight, which had started to spread to a nearby corn field.

Firefighters used hose reel jets to extinguish the flames and stop the fire from spreading any further.

No injuries were reported and the incident was declared at a stop around an hour later.

Police were also called as it’s believed the fire was started deliberately.

A spokeswoman said: "At 6.43pm on Sunday Kent Police was called by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) regarding a suspected arson to crops in Shirehall Road, Hawley.

"Officers attended and, following enquiries at the scene, two teenage boys were arrested in connection with the incident.

"They were later released pending further investigation."

A spokesperson for KFRS added: "Deliberate fires not only put lives at risk, but they can also take firefighters away from other emergencies."

It's the second fire in that location in under a week.

Last Tuesday two fire engines were also sent to a crop field fire on Shirehall Road in Hawley shortly before 12.30pm.

On that occasion crews arrived to around one hectare of standing corn alight and firefighters used hose reel jets to extinguish the blaze.

No casualties were reported during that blaze and the cause is believed to be accidental.

It happened on the same day fire crews battled multiple blazes across Dartford including a large field fire on Bridge Estate near the Crossing and on Dartford Heath, off the A2.

If you suspect someone is responsible for arson, call FireStoppers on 0800 169 5558, or report it online.