A pile of rubbish is believed to have spontaneously combusted last night.

Over 200 tonnes of rubbish, the equivalent weight of 33 elephants, went up in flame at the Crossways recycling Centre in Manor Road, Swanscombe.

Firefighters from Thameside and Dartford were called out at 12.45am and tackled the blaze until 4am.

Kent Fire and Rescue are investigating the cause of the fire, although it is not thought to be suspicious.

One of the firefighters, who helped quell blaze, said: "There was a watchman there overnight, security is very good and we have no reason to believe this was suspicious.

"Sometimes a pile of waste, especially food, can build up with heat and spontaneously combust.

"You get a lot of flame, and little left to suggest how it started."