Picture provided by KM reader James Heffernan.

by Mary Graham

Clubbers helped alert emergency services to a fire in a bank when they reported smoke coming through a cash point.

The fire broke out at Barclays Bank in Maidstone High Street just before 10pm on a busy Saturday night.

Revellers who saw smoke ran and told volunteers on Maidstone’s Urban Blue Bus, which provides help to stranded, injured or drunk clubbers.

They called Kent Fire and Rescue Service and helped contain the flames by releasing a powder extinguisher near the cash point.

Volunteers also helped form a cordon to keep people away from the immediate vicinity.

Fire crews had to break down the door to gain access to the bank and a Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said crews tackled a fire in the room housing the cash point.

The spokesman said the fire was not serious but it had caused damage to offices within the building.

Police, who were also on the scene, believe the fire is not suspicious and could have possibly started by an electrical fault.