Flames seen in the distance by a concerned resident sparked an emergency response by fire crews.

Two pump vehicles responded to the call that a fire could be seen "over the hill" in Kinney Lane, Ashford at around midnight last night.

The flames were coming from Southern Water's nearby water works site - a discovery firefighters made after "hopping" over a fence and then speaking to the site's workers.

Pat Hillman, the crew manager, said: "We could see where it was, the workers came and found us.

"It was quite high up and could be seen from a distance - it was a safety flame.

"The site is manned 24/7."

The crews remained at the scene for half hour while they found the source of the flames, before heading back to base.