Kent Fire and Rescue service has appealed for information following a fire on Saturday that destroyed a Homebase store in Aylesford.

It is thought that the blaze, which kept crews at the retail park for almost two days, was started on purpose.

Around 90 firefighters attended at the height of the fire, using 17 fire engines, two height vehicles and a number of support units. The incident, which started around 1pm, was scaled down by Sunday morning. A mechanical digger was brought to the site on Sunday evening to demolish parts of the store and allow crews to tackle the remaining pockets of fire. More on this story...

Homebase staff evacuated shoppers from the busy store following the activation of a fire alarm. Nobody was hurt in the incident and crews managed to contain the fire to one building, although nearby store Carpetright sustained smoke damage.

“It started in one area and spread very quickly,” a spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue service told info4fire.

A police investigation is to look into whether the blaze was connected with a smaller fire the same day at a B&Q store in Larkfield.