Firefighters have been battling a bush fire at a former military training ground.

A parcel of land went up in flames at about 4.30pm today at the Old Park estate, between Sturry Road and the former Howe Barracks site to the east of Canterbury.

Smoke could be smelled more than a mile away as emergency services descended on the area.

An office worker in New Dover Road told KentOnline: “I heard a huge flurry of sirens and almost immediately afterwards I could smell smoke.”

The Old Park Training Ground is a 228-acre site formally used by the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier this year, a campaign was launched to protect the “hidden gem” from development after the MoD put it on the market.

Old Park stretches across an area of woodland, scrub and grassland the size of 143 football pitches on the edge of Canterbury city centre.

The MoD began withdrawing operations from Old Park in 2020 and allowed public access.

The fire comes as Kent, alongside the rest of the country, has experienced a prolonged burst of unusually warm weather.

March was an incredibly dry month across the UK, with England and Wales experiencing their driest conditions since at least 1961.

A spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue said they left the scene at around 7.20pm.

They added: “Two fire engines attended, crews extinguished fire using the all terrain vehicle due to remote location.

“No injuries were reported, the cause of the fire is currently unknown.”