A man has been taken to hospital with severe burns after a can of flammable liquid next to a bonfire exploded.

A crew from Medway fire station was called to open ground off the A228 Formby Road, Halling, just before 2pm this afternoon.

The fire had quickly burnt itself out and the man, who is thought to be in his 40s, was being attended to by an ambulance crew.

Darren Jenner, station manager at Kent Fire and Rescue Service, warned people to keep liquids such as petrol, paraffin, white spirit and paint stripper away from bonfires.

He said: "This is a warning to anyone thinking of lighting a bonfire over the coming bank holiday weekend, which is always a busy time for DIY and garden projects.

"Our advice is to keep flammable liquids well away from any bonfire and never to use them to get a bonfire going.

"The results can be catastrophic and can cause serious harm to your property, and more importantly to yourself."