Emergency services rushed to the M20 after reports emerged of a Home Office surveillance drone catching fire near Folkestone this afternoon.
The fire broke out on the coastbound carriageway between Junction 13 (Folkestone) and Junction 12 (Cheriton) shortly after 2pm. Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke and wreckage at the roadside, with some witnesses noting the drone’s registration number “G-TEKE” was visible.
It is currently unclear whether the drone crashed mid-flight or caught fire while being transported by road.
Photos and dashcam footage showed an overturned, smouldering drone marked with Home Office logos on the hard shoulder. Firefighters promptly extinguished the flames using hose reel jets. No injuries were reported.
Initially described by National Highways as a “vehicle fire,” the wreckage was later identified as a Tekever AR5 Evolution MK2 drone. This model is designed for long-range maritime surveillance and has a flight endurance of over 20 hours.
In 2023, the Home Office signed a three-year contract with Tekever to deploy these advanced drones as part of the Small Boats Operational Command, which monitors migrant crossings over the English Channel.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Traffic was reopened by 3pm, and both the Home Office and Kent Fire and Rescue Service are conducting investigations.
Kent Fire and Rescue said: “We were called to reports of a fire on the M20 between Junctions 12 and 13, near Folkestone. Two fire engines attended, and crews found a small remote-controlled aircraft being transported in a vehicle had caught alight.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
