It is not known what caused a fire that destroyed an allotment shed in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters were called to allotments in Street End Road and Second Avenue, Chatham, at 4.10am.

A spokesman said: "It could have been suspicious ignition because it was four in the morning and someone could have gone and set it on fire.

"But it was next to a compost heap so that could have self-combusted because of the gases."

If compost piles are not managed properly, they may self-ignite because of heat produced by bacterial fermentation.