A FACTORY had a near miss last night (Sunday) after a suspicious fire started in undergrowth in Strood.

Firefighters were called to the scene off Commissioner's Road at about 6.30pm.

The fire quickly spread, covering an area of a 'couple of hundred square metres', and a second pumphad to be called to deal with the blaze.

It is thought dry ivy and shrubs contributed to the size of the fire.

A spokesmansaid: "It started off as just an undergrowth fire off a footpath, but the fire then swept down the road and close to a factory."

The Mondi factory is based on the same road and at the bottom of the chalk cliff.

The spokesman said the fire was thought to have been started deliberately and added: "We stopped it right at the bottom (of the cliff face), it was feet away from the pallets and chemicals."

According to its website, Mondi Rochester Ltd is 'a specialist coater and laminator of a wide range of specialised flexible materials for various industries including building and packaging and other industries'.

Firefighters eventually put out the fire at about 10pm.