DOING a bit of DIY nearly ended in disaster for a shop worker in Rochester.

The man, thought to be in his 40s, was painting the front of a florist’s in the High Street last night.

But he got into difficulties when using a heat gun caught the shop fascia alight. Crews from Medway fire station were called to the scene at around 8pm.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said: “The fire was small and contained. Luckily, it hadn’t got inside the shop.

"The flames could have spread to the next shop front if we hadn’t got there in time.”

A driver meanwhile had a lucky escape when her car caught alight in Strood this morning.

The woman was travelling along Gravesend Road when she noticed the smell of smoke inside her car.

The woman had to pull over at the side of the road and call the fire brigade.

A crew from Strood fire station arrived on the scene at around 8am and discovered the fuse board inside the Peugeot 306 had caught alight.

A spokesperson for Kent Fire and Rescue said: “It was out within a few minutes. The fire had not spread elsewhere in the car. I think the vehicle is repairable.

"The water we sprayed into the car probably caused more damage than the flames.”

The women, who has not been named, was not hurt in the incident.