A car thought to have been stolen was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in Canterbury early this morning.

Fire crews were called to Shaftesbury Road just before 3am, to find the silver Ford Focus engulfed in flames.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Alan Bradford said: "One fire engine from Canterbury attended and extinguished the fire, which was well alight.

"Kent Police were alerted due to the crews believing the fire was started deliberately."

Firefighters spent half-an-hour dealing with the fire, and police confirmed an investigation was underway.

Spokesman Jon Green added: "We're aware of the car fire and are treating it as suspicious.

"We believe the car may have been stolen and have launched an investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 11-0135.