A pile of rubbish set alight near a shopping centre caused so much smoke that nearby water sprinklers were activated.

Fire crews were sent to the old Chatham bus station near the Pentagon Shopping Centre at 6pm last night, where smoke was billowing from some litter that had been ignited.

The smoke was so strong it spread into the shopping complex, including into some shops.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service described the situation as "quite serious" due to the amount of smoke lingering at the scene which caused sprinklers to go off at the disused bus station.

Fortunately, no damage was caused and the building's extraction system dealt with much of the smoke.

Martyn Stone, centre director of the Pentagon Shopping Centre, said: "It appears that somebody has got up to some mischief.

"The extraction system kicks in when there is poor air quality in the centre. You wouldn't know it had even happened this morning."

Kent Police are investigating the incident as suspicious.

Firefighters were at the scene for about an hour.