SHOPPERS looked on in horror as a young man plunged 30ft from the first floor of a department store into a crowded shopping area below.

Staff at Marks and Spencers, at the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre at Gillingham, mounted a major operation to clear the store, while the seriously injured man received emergency treatment.

It is thought that the man, in his 20s and from Rainham, was attempting to take his own life. He had a history of mental illness.

The man suffered head, chest, neck, leg and facial injuries.

The incident happened at around 2.30 on Friday afternoon, when the store was crowded with Christmas shoppers. One eye witness said that it was lucky no-one else was injured by the man landing on them.

Ambulance crews gave him fluid replacement therapy before taking him to Gillingham's Medway Maritime Hospital. His condition is said to be serious but not life-threatening.

The incident happened at about 2.30pm on Friday.

Eye witnesses said that the man jumped from a part of the store close to the escalator. Guard rails are in place at this point, but they would not be sufficient to stop someone determined to throw themselves over.

The deputy manager of Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Jean Rook, said: "This has been a tragic incident. I am relieved that the young man has survived and we all hope that he makes a good recovery."