Drivers have been warned about the dangers of inconsiderate parking after a fire engine was delayed in its bid to reach a vehicle ablaze in Gravesend.

Firefighters were called to Medhurst Gardens at around 5am this morning to reports a van was on fire, but struggled to make their way down the road.

They had no luck in getting residents to move their vehicles and Thames-side Fire Station manager David Aylwin described the situation as "a nightmare".

"Medhurst Gardens is a long road and we had to reverse all the way down it, so the crew were delayed several vital minutes due to parking issues," he explained.

"If it had been a house fire it would have been a nightmare because it took us a long time to get there.

"The van was completely destroyed and it spread to fences and nearly set another car alight."

Arson is suspected as the cause of the blaze and an investigation is under way.