Part of the roof on Ashford's County Square shopping centre has blown off in Storm Eunice, forcing bosses to shut the mall.

Debris could be seen in the Tufton Street entrance to the centre earlier this afternoon, with security staff turning shoppers away.

The roof has been damaged close to the town's Wimpy and former Post Office site.

Lucy Currie was inside the shopping mall with her partner and daughter as the roof fell in.

“I was in Costa when the glass ceiling fell and smashed outside ManCave,” she said.

“We got evacuated out very swiftly by security.”

The 30-year-old said two boys had a very close call.

“It was terrifying but security reacted perfectly - the staff were very efficient,” she said.

After evacuating, Miss Currie, who was left shaken by the incident, got a taxi home with her family.

In a statement, County Square retail scheme director Stacey Bell confirmed no one was injured.

“Unfortunately as a result of Storm Eunice, falling debris hit atrium glass at the centre causing it to smash," she said.

"Thankfully no one was hurt and the affected areas evacuated safely.

"With safety as our number one priority and the storm set to continue, we took the decision to close Ashford House and phase one of the centre immediately and monitor the situation.

"The centre will reopen when it is considered safe to do so."

Meanwhile, part of the Pilgrims Hospice furniture store frontage peeled off, with glass littering Wellesley Road.

In Kennington, film fans were evacuated from Cineworld after part of the roof came loose.

Photos showed damage to the new entrance which has been installed as part of the site's IMAX upgrade.

On its Facebook page, Cineworld said: "Due to the adverse weather conditions we are now currently closed.

"If you have a booking this will be refunded for you. We will update as soon as we can."

This morning, the Designer Outlet confirmed it will remain closed throughout Friday.

Additional reporting by Chantal Weller

For more Storm Eunice updates and photos from the Ashford borough, go to the Twitter and Facebook pages of the Kentish Express.