A communal kitchen in student halls of residence in Tyler Hill, Canterbury, was badly damaged by fire last night in what was described as a "cooking-related" incident.

The alarm was raised at about 8pm in a new University of Kent accommodation block.

Firefighter Steve Thompson said: "It was in a communal kitchen which served six of seven rooms and seemed to have started with cooking mishap.

"There was a lot of smoke and everyone was out the building. We managed to contain the fire to the kitchen, but it was gutted."