Shoppers were forced to abandon their trolleys as a supermarket in Ashford was evacuated.

Staff and customers were told to leave the Asda store in Kimberley Way at around 10am after steam from cleaning equipment triggered the fire alarms.

The store was evacuated for around 10 minutes and the fire service were called before the store was fully reopened.

An Asda spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority so when the fire alarm was activated, colleagues worked hard to evacuate the store quickly.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to our shoppers and we thank them for their patience while the situation was resolved.”

Shopper Simon Higgins said: "We were shopping in Asda today when all the alarms went off.

"Lots of members of staff came out and told everyone to leave their trolleys, shopping, bags etc behind and leave the store.

"Everyone had to stand outside in the rain, until a fire engine arrived."

Kent Fire and Rescue has been contacted for comment.