A pensioner had a lucky escape after a loose tile fell from a building in Ashford's High Street.

The slab fell from Barclays bank on Monday lunchtime, almost hitting a passing shopper.

A witness said: "One elderly disabled woman had a narrow escape, after the tile fell from a position above head height."

He added that other tiles on the building looked loose.

The debris was cleared away by colleagues shortly after.

Today, a surveyor has been called to the bank to evaluate the safety of shoppers and staff.

A Barclays spokespesman said: “The safety of our customers, staff and members of the public is extremely important to us.

"When we were made aware of the fact that a tile had fallen from the front of our branch, we immediately requested our premises team to attend the branch to secure any further loose tiles.

"Today we have a surveyor looking at the front of the building to see if anything further needs to be done.”