by Rebecca Hughes

Firefighters were called to Chatham last night to extinguish two rubbish fires started within an hour of each other.

Crew from Medway fire station were first called at 1.14am to put out a fire which was started in a mattress left out overnight for collection.

The fire in Hope Street had spread from the mattress to a car and garage by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters battled the blaze and had put it out within 15 minutes, but were unable to save the Vauxhall.

Just over half an hour later at 1.52am, another rubbish fire had been started at the back of Herbert Road, Chatham, in a derelict garage.

Crews had extinguished the fire before any damage was caused.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “We would like to discourage people from leaving materials outside their properties to try to deter people from setting it alight.”

Police are treating the fires as suspicious.