AN ELECTRICAL fault is being blamed for a fire which wrote off a lorry in Bean last night (July 26).

Firefighters were called after people living near to where the vehicle was parked in Bean Lane noticed smoke coming from the cab at around 11.10pm.

They also reported hearing the sound of the engine trying to start up but there were no signs of forced entry.

At first it was thought the driver may have been asleep in the cab at the time of the fire but police found him asleep in his house.

He confirmed he had not driven the lorry for around six hours and had securely locked it before going home.

Two crews from Dartford dealt with the blaze and the last fire engine left the scene by around midnight.