Police and two fire crews were called after reports of a van on fire on the A249 near the Sheppey Crossing.

One lane of the dual carriageway coming onto the Island was coned off by police at the scene at about 5.10pm yesterday.

Fire crews were sent back as it turned out to be a false alarm.

They had received calls about a white van alight on the side of the road.

A Kent Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "There were reports of a white van alight on the A249 but it wasn’t on fire when we got there.

"It could have been steam from a burst hose that was seen."

A motorist, who saw traffic queuing back onto the bridge, said: "It was hard to tell what was going on as the police had coned the road off but seemed to be standing looking around.

"I thought it was one of those stop-and-search operations they do in the summer when all the holiday makers flock onto the Island."