Mindless yobs caused fire damage to a fence and shed after they tried to set a bike alight.

The blaze in an alley at the rear of houses in Abbey Road, Bellman Avenue and Old Road East, Gravesend, happened at about 4.30pm on Monday.

Residents overheard youths swearing by the garden fence just minutes before the flames were spotted.

A fire crew from Thames-side station attended while neighbours helped to temporarily repair the damaged fence.

Jon Pratt, who lives in Old Road East, was in his garden with his wife, Jean, when they heard the yobs "effing and blinding" and went to investigate.

The 54-year-old said: "At first it was just a blaze on the floor - really, really low. I came up the garden path and told a neighbour to have a look.

"By then it was way above the garage and coming up really high."

Amy Roberts, 13, was with a friend playing on a trampoline in a garden in Bellman Avenue when she spotted smoke.

She said: "I thought it was a barbecue at first but when we went to look we saw the smoke was literally covering the road.

"When we went down the alley the fire was really big.

"There was thick black smoke but the fire brigade got there really quickly."

The teenager also discovered a rat had perished in the flames.

Police were due to attend the scene this morning and investigations are ongoing.