Mystery surrounds the cause of a fire in a stubble field which led police to close the Maidstone-bound A249 near Sittingbourne.

Three fire engines and two police cars sent to scene, as it quickly spread, causing smoke to billow across the carriageway.

It happened on Saturday afternoon just off Bramblefield Lane, a pedestrian walkway connecting Milton Regis and Bobbing, near the Flo Plast site at Howt Green.

It broke out at about 2.05pm and plumes of smoke could be seen as far away as Staplehurst Road in Sittingbourne.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed 200 x 100 square metres of stubble had caught fire.

"We were there for about two hours damping down and making sure all the hotspots were out," he said.

"The A249 was shut for about 45 minutes."

The spokesman said the cause of the blaze remained unknown.

"It could have been anything," he said.

"It could have been a broken bottle reflecting the sun or someone throwing a cigarette out of a car from the road.

"People should be mindful about that on a country road, especially in the hot weather."