A cannabis farm containing more than £50,000 worth of plants was discovered following a house fire.

The blaze ripped through the roof of the property in Pelham Road, Gravesend last week.

Firefighters tackled the roof blaze last week

Five fire engines and a height vehicle were called at around 11.14am on Friday and did not leave until 2pm.

Firefighters were assisted by officers and volunteers from the Kent Special Constabulary.

After the flames had been extinguished, a number of plants were found being cultivated in the property.

Inquiries to locate suspects are ongoing.

There were no reported casualties.

Neighbour Craig was driving by when he spotted the blaze last week. He said: "It looked like it came from the attic, because there were no flames or smoke coming from downstairs. I think nobody was home either.

"I didn't see ambulance or police, just the fire crews. The roads nearby were closed off and traffic was diverted, but it wasn't bad."

A police cordon was put in place around a few homes near Mayfield Grammar School, but the school was not inside the cordon.

The road was closed between Lennox Road and the roundabout opposite the Pelham Arms at the junction of Old Road West and Pelham Road.

Speaking last week Laura Ginn, who lives in Pelham Road, said: "I saw a big blaze but couldn't really see where it was coming from. I saw firefighters were running around to see where the hydrant was."

She said she had seen them digging to get to it and once they'd gained access, they immediately started putting the flames out.

Another resident of Pelham Road, who asked not to be named, was one of those whose home was inside the cordon and was not being allowed back in for safety reasons.

He said: "My sister saw it first. She told me and I just saw smoke coming up off the roof.

"It was coming out in flames. Then I saw the first fire truck and then a few more after that.

"As soon as the first arrived, they were kicking the door down. It took them a few moments to kick it down and then they got inside."

Firefighters used a height vehicle to tackle the flames from above.