A tent-fire survivor has recalled the horror of waking up to the screams of her partner as molten plastic dripped down on them from above.

Homeless couple Rose Darke 49, and Russell Whiteman, 51, were burned when their tent – pitched in bushes behind Rope Walk, Chatham – caught alight.

Firefighters believe the blaze spread from a campfire, but Rose says she had not lit a fire and believes it was started deliberately.

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She recalled how Russell had gone to sleep first that night, before she joined him.

"The next thing he woke me up screaming that he didn’t want to be burnt alive. He was on fire, and I was trying to put him out with my hands.

"It was awful, we thought we were going to die. There was molten plastic all over me."

Rose managed to get Russell out of the tent and within seconds it was all alight.

He said: "The bushes were alight, the tent was up – it was all on fire. I could never sleep in a tent again."

Video: Rose Darke and Russell Whiteman recall escaping tent blaze

The couple were taken to Medway Maritime Hospital, and Rose was subsequently taken to East Grinstead for treatment to burns to her legs, hips and face.

They are now recovering in a shelter in Gillingham and are receiving help from Medway Street Angels’ volunteer team leader Neil Charlick, who believes Medway hospital should have offered Rose a bed after she was discharged from East Grinstead as she had open wounds.

Police said inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

John Ferguson, general manager, emergency programme at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We were very sorry to hear of the unfortunate incident that resulted in Rose and Russell requiring treatment at Medway Maritime Hospital.

"Owing to the nature of her injuries, it was necessary for Rose to be transferred to another hospital so that she could receive specialist care.

"There is a well-established process for ensuring that patients are transferred back to their local hospital – once clinically stable – if they require ongoing hospital treatment. In this instance, this was not required.

"Wound dressing management is typically carried out in the community and would not be appropriate for a hospital admission. If a person phones the hospital to request a bed, they would always be advised to contact their GP, call NHS 111 or visit the Emergency Department.

"We wish Rose the very best for her ongoing recovery and would stress that she calls NHS 111, visits her GP or the Emergency Department if she has any further concerns about her health."