A woman in her 60s has been taken to hospital after her car exploded and caught fire in a supermarket car park.

Emergency services were called to Morrisons in Mill Way, Sittingbourne, at about 8pm last night.

Aaron Smith, who lives in Iwade, had just parked up at the supermarket with his girlfriend Lisa Nolan when he heard the explosion.

"I heard a big bang," he said. "I first thought a firework had hit our car – and we were at least 50 yards away from the lady's car – but as soon as I got out I saw a lady in a car with all windows blown out and doors buckled.

"I went over, I couldn't get her out but she was speaking so I just tried to talk to her when I noticed flames coming from the dashboard."

He managed to prise open the mangled door and called for help to pull the woman to safety.

The 35-year-old added: "Once she was out, I left her with my partner and tried to put the fire out but I only had a bottle of water, so I went back for the lady's bag as I thought the last thing she needs is to have all her belongings gone as well as the car, as I knew it was going to go up quick."

Mr Smith said within about four minutes of pulling the driver out of the green Vauxhall Astra, flames were coming out of its windows.

He said: "At the time I wasn't thinking about anything apart from getting the lady out, but once I got home I kept thinking how it could have ended differently and that I was probably stupid going back as the car could have gone bang at any point.

"But I just wanted to get the lady out and away from the car."

A number of emergency services were called including firefighters, ambulance crews and police officers before the injured woman was taken to hospital.

An ambulance spokesman said: "We were called at 8.04pm to Morrisons supermarket in Mill Way. The caller told us a car had exploded.

"We sent an ambulance crew to the scene who treated a single patient, a woman in her 60s.

"She was treated at the scene before being taken by crews to Medway Maritime Hospital with burns."

The spokesman added the woman's injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "Kent Fire and Rescue Service responded to a car fire following a gas explosion inside the vehicle in Mill Way, Sittingbourne.

"One fire engine attended, and upon arrival there was no one inside the car. Crews used a hose reel jet to put the fire out. The driver was in the care of SECAmb paramedics."

Police said the blaze was "not being treated as suspicious".