by Rebecca Hughes

A van on fire has caused part of the A229 to close resulting in tailbacks in rush hour traffic.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene on Maidstone Road, Rochester, near the Holiday Inn hotel, around 8.20am following reports of a white van on fire.

Police closed part of the road while firefighters tackled the blaze resulting in stationary traffic northbound between Bridgewood Roundabout and the Watson Avenue junction.

A worker at the Innovation Centre on Maidstone Road, who could see the scene from the window, said: “There is a lot of smoke and the fire engines arrived to put the fire out.

"There is a lot of traffic because people are trying to get out of the Holiday Inn and are stuck. The delays are quite long.”

Resident Jon Primett added: “The traffic is horrendous.”

Picture by Jonathan Stott