Fire breaks out at industrial waste unit

Firefighters are tackling a blaze which has broken out at an industrial waste unit next to railway tracks in Ashford.

People living near Brunswick Road were advised on Tuesday evening to keep windows and doors closed due to thick black smoke rising from the site, which could been seen from miles away.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "10 fire engines, a height vehicle and a bulk water carrier are at the scene, and crews are working to extinguish the fire."

It is not yet known if there have been any injuries.

Passerby Jamie Koowaree said he saw the smoke and suspected a pile of "old tyres" had been set alight.

"My children actually said, 'Oh, there's a thunderstorm coming', but when I looked up I was like, 'That's no storm'.

"Then we thought maybe it was just somebody having a horrible bonfire, but then the smoke got thicker and darker.

"The smell is is all over South Ashford. It's everywhere you go," he added.

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