The door to a derelict high street department store which was secured by police after squatters took up residence has been forced open.

Rough sleepers were ejected from Nasons in Canterbury city centre on November 21, when police and the fire service secured the building.

But now, the doors to the long-empty shop have been cracked open once again.

The site, which has received planning permission for a £26 million transformation, is Grade-II listed, leading to fears vandals will destroy the building's historic features.

Images from inside the insecure site show that vandalism has already taken place, with graffiti, broken windows and waste littering the floor.

Last month, officers discovered evidence of people living in the disused site and removed them, although no arrests were made.

They then secured the building, but required the help of the fire service to do so due to the dilapidated state of the department store.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service building safety inspector visited Nasons twice to ensure the building's security and safety, but despite this, intruders managed to regain entry this week.

A spokesperson for Setha Group, which owns the former Nasons site, said: “We take the issue very seriously, as the site owners and are working with the police and the court to resolve the current issues.”

The Nasons site has sat empty since its closure in September 2018.

Earlier this month, developers received the green light to begin a £26 million transformation, which has been in the works for three years.

It had been delayed, like many local projects, by the issue of pollution at Stodmarsh Nature Reserve.

The plans were finally approved after developers agreed to tanker sewage away from the site to be disposed of away from the River Stour.

The redevelopment of Nasons, which lies directly opposite the also-empty former Debenhams, is set to rejuvenate that section of the high street.

When the work is completed, there will be a new retail arcade, a covered market hall, offices, 33 flats and 32 serviced apartments.