by Jenni Horn

jhorn@thekmgroup.co.uk

Four youths sparked a massive rescue operation after getting trapped in a maze of underground tunnels as a fire broke out.

About 35 firefighters were forced to smash their way into the tunnels off the Esplanade in Rochester on Saturday night to pull them out.

The four had gone in to explore, but met a dead end and could not find their way out.

Smoke from a pile of rubbish which had been set alight was starting to build up making them worry for their safety.

Crews were called to reports of the fire in the old Short’s Tunnels at midnight, but they did not know anyone was trapped inside until they arrived.

They found the youngsters, three young men and a girl and aged between 16 and 21, on the other side of a bricked-up entrance in Oliver Twist Close and used sledgehammers to knock a hole through the wall to pull them to safety.

Watch manager Martin Simmons said: “They were quite scared."