Diners were evacuated after fire broke at a restaurant in Sittingbourne last night.

Two crews were called to McDonald's in Mill Way at about 5.30pm after a walk-in refrigerator at the back of the store caught alight.

Two firefighters used thermal image cameras to locate the blaze and put it out.

The incident was dealt with by about 5.40pm.

Sittingbourne crew manager, Kevin Ford, said: "The fire was discovered by a member of staff who went to open the freezer and saw smoke coming out.

"They did everything correctly, they shut the freezer door, dialed 999 and set the alarms so the restaurant would be evacuated."

A fault with the refrigeration unit was thought to have started the fire.

It caused minor damage to boxes of stock and the unit itself.