The clean-up operation has begun after a major blaze at a storage barn.

The fire broke out at around 4pm Tuesday near Brookside Nursery and Garden Centre in Seven Mile Lane, East Peckham.

A number of barns were said to be well alight. At its height around 40 firefighters tackled the blaze.

~Listen: Claire Gash, manager of Brookside Garden Centre in East Peckham, tells how the business is now counting the cost of the blaze>>>

Kent Police were also on the scene, and evacuated nearby buildings, including Brookside Garden Centre, as a precaution. It is thought there is asbestos in some of the affected buildings.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

• For more news from the Maidstone area visit kentmessenger.co uk >>>