A TOWERING plume of smoke which rose above the North Downs during the evening rush hour on Tuesday was seen for miles across Kent.

It was caused when fuel ignited in a car being lifted by crane in a Medway scrapyard.

The fire spread quickly to nearby scrap and cars piled up at the Medway Ports Chatham Docks site in Pier Road, Gillingham.

No one was hurt, but the thick smoke caused traffic delays.

About 40 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak and many were at the scene until late into the night.

Steve Demetriou, the fire brigade's senior divisional officer, said: "One of the biggest problems was getting enough water and in the end we used water from the docks."

The fire was brought under control by separating some of the piles of metal to create a barrier.