by Martin Jefferies

A woman who claimed she was raped on a Broadstairs beach, triggering a £40,000 police investigation that led to two arrests, has admitted making the incident up.

The 42-year-old from Ramsgate, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police she was assaulted at Viking Bay in the early hours of September 6, 2009, by two unknown men.

Her allegations led to an extensive investigation by officers from the major crime department at Kent Police, who arrested two men as a result of descriptions provided by the woman.

However, several witnesses who had been on the beach at the time of the alleged incident gave statements to police, contradicting the woman's account of events.

She was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of wasting police time and making a false statement. After she admitted lying to officers about the incident, she received a formal caution which will sit on her record.

Det Insp Lee Whitehead, who led the investigation, said: "We'd like to reassure the community that all allegations of this nature are treated seriously and thoroughly investigated. Victims of such crimes are always treated with great discretion and sensitivity.

"Any allegations proved to be false are also treated seriously and dealt with accordingly. False allegations undermine genuine victims of sexual assault and divert police resources away from what we should be concentrating on."