By Hayley Robinson

No trains are running in or out of Sittingbourne after a fire broke out on the railway track in Murston.

Two fire appliances from Sittingbourne were called to the railway bridge in Murston Road, Sittingbourne, at 8.35am this morning where they found a fire had melted together electrical cabling on the track side.

While dealing with the fire the crew also noticed smoke and arcing coming from the cable further down the line. As a result two fire appliances from Faversham were called to the scene as well as a Network Rail incident officer.

Firefighters tackled the fire using powder extinguishers and left the scene just after 10am.

The fire blew approximately 500 yards of cabling along the track thus causing signal failure.

A replacement bus service for passengers is now in operation.

An investigation will be carried by Network Rail to establish what caused the blaze.

A spokesman for Southeastern said: "Train services between Gillingham and Faversham via Sittingbourne are being disrupted due to signalling problems. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal.

"Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays can be expected.

"A replacement bus service will operate between Sittingbourne and Sheerness in both directions and Faversham through to Gillingham in both directions. London Underground are passing valid Southeastern ticket holders between London terminals."

For further updates visit www.southeasternrailway.co.uk