A council has admitted a car caught up in a major bus crash that damaged 25 vehicles was given a parking ticket.

There was an outcry on social media as it emerged parking officers had issued a fixed penalty notice on one of the vehicles caught up in the crash in Hythe Street in Dartford.

The bus damaged 25 vehicles in the smash and injured 16 people.

It comes hours after the council issued a strong denial that it had given a ticket to one of the vehicles involved, instead saying it had ticketed a car which had pulled up this morning outside a cafe.

Dartford Council tweeted: "It seems that one of our officers properly issued a ticket to a car parked outside a cafe in Hythe Street this morning and then ticketed another vehicle close by that was involved in last night's incident and had not been recovered from the scene.

"When it became clear that the car was involved in the incident the ticket was cancelled immediately."

Earlier, Dartford Council said a car which has been ticketed for illegally parking in Hythe Street, Dartford, this morning was not involved in a bus crash which damaged 25 cars last night.

A spokesman for the council said: "The car that has been ticketed wasn't connected to the incident.

"It was someone who went into a cafe."

Police and firefighters confirmed were called to the scene of the crash at around 6.55pm last night.

The driver was arrested and remains in custody as inquiries continue.

He is currently in hospital with injuries that are not reported to be serious.

None of the injuries to people caught up in the incident are reported to be serious.

Watch: The scene after a bus ploughs into 25 vehicles in Dartford. Video: Ben Clements