A teenager has been arrested after schools across the county were sent emails threatening to run children over.

Dozens of schools urged parents to pick up their children early yesterday after they received threats that pupils would be run over.

Staff at North Borough Primary School in Peel Street and St Paul's Infant School on Hillary Road in Maidstone both told parents to pick their children up before 2pm, citing a safeguarding issue.

Up to 80 schools across the country are thought to have received an email from someone threatening to drive into pupils.

The National Crime Agency has since revealed an 18-year-old has been arrested.

A spokesman said: “On the evening of Wednesday, March 28, NCA and Hertfordshire Police officers arrested an 18-year-old man in the Abbots Langley area on suspicion of making malicious communications relating to the threatening emails received earlier today by a large number of schools and colleges throughout the UK.

“We understand these threats have caused considerable concern but we do not assess there to be an increased risk to the public.

“We believe this incident is linked to the hoax bomb threat that closed hundreds of UK schools last week.

“As this is a live investigation we are unable to comment further.”

Sandling School in Ashburnham Road did not receive the email but asked parents to pick pupils up early.

St Peter's Primary School in Aylesford, Greenfields Community Primary and the independent Shernold School were also thought to have responded.

In Sittingbourne, Meadowfield School in Swanstree Avenue escorted pupils off site to parents' cars, while there were reports Kemsley Primary School in Coldharbour Lane also took action after the threat.

Roger Gough, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, added: “Kent County Council is aware that a number of schools across the county received a threatening email on Wednesday, March 28.

“Police are treating the emails as a hoax and we do not believe any children were in danger. We encouraged any school that received an email to report it to Kent Police on 101 and we will seek to support any police investigation.”

Last week a Watford man was arrested after hundreds of schools were closed due to a bomb hoax.