Smokers are being warned of the dangers of carelessly ditching their cigarettes after a discarded fag butt sparked a fire last night.

Crews were called to Warren Road, in Chatham, at 10pm after a cigarette set alight garden rubbish.

Firefighters spent one hour on the scene and had to close the road while they dealt with the flames.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said: “People are advised not to discard smoke materials, particularly where it is dry, to avoid causing a fire.

"We ended up closing the road because of it. People need to be aware of the effect it can have.”