Police blew up a roofer's van after mistaking it for a terror threat.

Louis Cole, from Faversham, treated his girlfriend to a weekend away in Paris and left the vehicle parked outside a church.

But French police - on high alert after recent terrorist attacks - grew suspicious and carried out a controlled explosion on the van.

It blew a hole in its roof and shattered all of the vehicle's windows.

Louis, 27, told KentOnline: "We drove to Paris on the Friday and the car parks were all so expensive as the van is quite tall.

"We found the spot outside the church and parked up there thinking it would be all right.

"When we came back, the van was gone, and we initially believed it had just been towed away.

"When we arrived at the compound to pick it up, we were told what had happened and couldn't believe it.

"There is a mass at the church on the Sunday and people had reported it as looking suspicious.

"When police arrived, they found a passport in the driver's door which apparently made them more suspicious and they believed it was a terror threat."

Police in Paris are on high alert following a series of terrorist attacks, including a number of incidents in November 2015 when 130 were killed across the city.

Louis, who owns his own business, L Cole Roofing in Faversham, is still awaiting payment for the damage and an apology from the French authorities.