About 36 double-decker buses have been destroyed in an arson attack at a depot.

Flames took hold at the Chadwell St Mary depot, near Grays, shortly after 18:00 BST on Friday, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said.

A huge cloud of thick black smoke was seen billowing from the site, with crews from Grays, Basildon and Orsett bringing the fire under control by 21:00.

Station manager Lee Hurst said: "This was a significant and challenging incident involving a large number of vehicles."

He said an investigation found the blaze was started deliberately, and thanked both firefighters and local farmers for their help in tackling it.

Essex Police confirmed it was investigating and "at this stage it is being treated as a suspected arson".

"We are working closely with fire service colleagues to establish the cause of the fire."

Roads that were closed in the area reopened at about 21:00 on Friday.

No arrests have been made and the force was "working through a number of lines of inquiry," police said.

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