An electric car which had been left charging outside an office building caught fire and burned until only its skeleton remained.

The 2017 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive car which has a 17.6kWh battery, had been charging overnight, according to The Daily Mail.

Pictures of its remains show a charred frame and the melted lithium ion battery pack. The yellow charging cable was still attached to the car.

The brick wall of the office building was also partially sooted.

Local media reported an Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman as saying that the electric car was "100 per cent destroyed and caused smoke damage to a building after catching alight".

Firefighters had been called to the scene at the Rettendon Turnpike junction in Wickford, at around 4am on Sunday morning (July 9).

The fire was extinguished by 6.25am, according to local media, and the firefighters ventilated the building and ensured the scene was safe.

"The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental, and was due to an electrical fault," said the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman.