Two men charged with arson following a series of fires in Maidstone appeared in court today.

Neil Clark, 34, of Surrey Road, Maidstone, and 19-year-old Marc Hitchcock, of Oxford Road, Maidstone, are accused of conspiracy to commit arson and other arson-related offences.

During a brief preliminary hearing at Maidstone Crown Court in which the pair appeared via a prison video link, prosecutor Gareth Nicholl said they had been charged in relation to a number of fires, some of which were tagged with numbers.

No indication of plea was given by either defendant and a provisional trial date of August 15 was set by Judge Jeremy Carey.

Clark and Hitchcock were remanded in custody until their next hearing on April 15.