Firefighters experienced a 'close-shave' after being called to a fire in Tonbridge caused by light reflecting from a shaving mirror.

A passer-by noticed smoke coming from the shed of a roof used as a boathouse in Barden road on Tuesday June 24.

They called 999 just after 9am and two fire engines promptly arrived on scene.

Crews believe the fire was started as a result of the heat from sunlight reflecting off a shaving mirror.

"[...] we believe the fire was due to heat from sunlight reflecting off of a concave shaving mirror positioned on an outside wall" - watch manager Martin Rowland

Tonbridge watch manager Martin Rowland said: "This was a slightly unusual incident as we believe the fire was due to heat from sunlight reflecting off of a concave shaving mirror positioned on an outside wall.

"It shone onto the roof felt, catching it alight.

“Thankfully, due to the swift actions of a member of the public in alerting us to the incident, we were able to deal with the fire before it spread and the damage was limited to around half of the roof.

“Fires of this type are relatively rare, but we would ask residents to think carefully about ensuring mirrors and other reflective glass objects are positioned away from direct sunlight.”