A bell tower has been sealed off after several bell ringers were taken to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning.

The potentially-lethal gas was leaking from the boiler in the basement of the tower at St Botolph's Church in The Hill, Northfleet, on Remembrance Sunday.

More than 500 people attended the services at the church and the war memorial.

The Rev Lawrence Smith said the bell tower would not be opened until the fault was fixed.

He also said he spoke to bell ringers last night and said they were recovering at home.

Thameside fire crews were called to St Botolph's Church, on The Hill, Northfleet, at 9.50am after a faulty boiler caused those in the bell tower to breathe in the toxic gas.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We led six people to safety and first aid was administered by an ambulance crew on site.

"Because the boiler was in the bell tower we were able to allow the service to go ahead."

In October this year a report revealed that Kent was one of Britain's hot spots for deaths and incidents from carbon monoxide poisoning.