FIVE teenagers arrested by police in connection with a £50,000 bus fire are to appear in court next month.

North Kent police say the gang, who have been released on police bail, will appear at Dartford Magistrates' Court.

They were arrested last week after being identified from CCTV footage on the number 96 bus.

Passengers had to be evacuated as the top deck of a Stagecoach bus burst into flames in Dartford Road, Dartford, on July 31.

The blaze also caused an estimated £20,000 of damage to nearby homes where guttering and plastic windows and doors melted.