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Barn blaze at Lower Road, Minster, on the Isle of Sheppey, tackled by Kent Fire and Rescue

Firefighters are still at the scene of a fire which broke out on the Isle of Sheppey yesterday.

They spent the night tackling a huge blaze which started in a barn at Wallend Farm in Lower Road, Minster, at 2am on Friday.

They expect to be there for some time making sure the area is safe.

When they arrived they found the barn and its contents, around 3,500 tonnes of baled hay, well alight.

The blaze at Wallend Farm at its height on Friday, August 1
The blaze at Wallend Farm at its height on Friday, August 1

The building is worth £300,000 while the hay is worth £150,000.

The structure was still in the process of being built by owners SW Attwood and Partners and was part of an expansion and investment of the business.

Farm owner Stephen Attwood said finishing touches were only just being completed to the building.

Speaking yesterday, he said: "To say we are all deflated this morning would be an understatement.

"We have all worked extremely hard to build the barn and finish it on time.

The barn blaze in Lower Road, Minster, on the Isle of Sheppey
The barn blaze in Lower Road, Minster, on the Isle of Sheppey

"There was an awful amount of work in baling and filling it with straw. The straw is sold so we now have customers who we will have to let down."

"To say we are all deflated this morning would be an understatement. "We have all worked extremely hard to build the barn and finish it on time" - Stephen Attwood

Hundreds of cars parked in the Minster area were covered in a dusting of ash from the blaze.

Two crews from Sheppey were joined by four other pumps from around the county and a water unit from Larkfield.

Sheppey crew manager James Ashby said they worked to protect surrounding buildings.

At 6am, it was reduced to two crews.

Police were also called and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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