A serious fire damaged an oast house last night.

The first floor and roof of the property in Golford Road, Benenden, suffered extensive damage, while the ground floor was affected by heat, water and smoke.

Fire crews were called to the property at 11pm.

A spokesman said it was a large fire, adding: “On arrival, crews found the whole of the roof of the large two-storey property well alight.”

Breathing apparatus, two main jets, a hose reel jet and the compressed air foam system were used to tackle the blaze.

By 6am today, the fire was under control and the incident had been scaled back to just one engine. Any remaining hot spots were being damped down.

No one is thought to have been in the house at the time.

A fire investigation team is due to begin their probe into the cause today.