A rumour circulating on social media that Bluewater was the target of a Black Friday terror attack has been debunked and taken offline after police identified the person responsible.

A Kent Police spokesman said the person had created the post with innocent intentions and that no further action will be taken.

The warnings had emerged on Facebook on Sunday urging people not to visit the shopping centre this weekend, suggesting that 750 body bags had been delivered.

A heightened security presence, including the deployment of sniffer dogs, was also mooted.

The post, which was shared more than 8,000 times, said: “Don’t go to Bluewater over Black Friday weekend... They’ve had a tip off that there will be an attack that weekend."

“They have even had 750 body bags delivered.”

“They are on high alert and they’ve got sniffer dogs in.”

The shopping centre took to Twitter on Monday to dispel the post, and in a statement on Tuesday morning assured shoppers that the information was untrue.

“Kent Police have spoken to the main individual responsible for circulating the rumour on social media who has since apologised and taken down the post,” said a spokesman.

“We would like to reassure visitors that the information was completely false and unfounded. The safety and security of our guests and staff is our highest priority and we work closely with Kent Police on a daily basis to ensure Bluewater stays that way.”

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson was also keen to play down any suggestion that Bluewater could be targeted by extremists.

“It’s understandable there is heightened awareness about security issues at the moment, unfortunately some people have been spreading false rumours on social media which doesn’t help,” he said.

“I know Bluewater takes its security very seriously and the safety of its guests is always its priority. We shouldn’t allow extremists to defeat us by staying indoors.”

“My family shopped at Bluewater yesterday and it is very much business as usual. Bluewater is Britain’s favourite shopping destination and is looking forward to a busy festive season.”

Fears of a terror attack came after the entire centre was evacuated on Saturday night following the discovery of a suspicious unattended package.

Hundreds of shoppers were caught up in the drama as Kent Police were called to the scene alongside a bomb disposal unit, with a controlled explosion delivered to the item at just before 9pm.

Although it was later revealed to have been harmless, it’s the latest in a string of terror alerts at the shopping centre in recent years.

In 2008, British Muslim Saeed Ghafoor was jailed for a year for plotting to pack three limousines with gas canisters and detonate them at the complex. Five men were also jailed in 2007 for planning a bomb attack.

Bluewater is just one of several locations across the county to have experienced a terrorism scare this week, with police continuing to investigate a bomb hoax which caused panic in Ramsgate town centre last Wednesday.

This Black Friday is set to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

The American Thanksgiving tradition has become increasingly prevalent in the UK in recent years, with thousands of shoppers expected to descend on Bluewater in search of savings throughout the weekend.