Witnesses heard explosions and smelt burnt rubber as a car went up in flames in a town centre.

A fire engine was called to Romney Place in Maidstone, near Sainsbury's, at around 12.48pm yesterday.

Crews spent over 30 minutes tackling the blaze.

A picture taken by an onlooker showed the charred remains of the vehicle, with the front of the car completely burnt out.

Bria Bennett, who was at the scene, said: "I heard loud bangs and went outside to see what was going on.

"I saw big clouds of smoke coming from the car and all I could smell was burning rubber."

One lane was reopened at around 1.30pm to let traffic flow through, although the road wasn't fully cleared until late afternoon.

The fire service has confirmed no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.