A 49-year-old woman has been arrested and charged by police following an "anthrax scare" in a Kent seaside town.

June Pratt, of St Paul’s Road, Cliftonville, near Margate, is accused under the Malicious Communications Act after the scare at Elm Day Nursery School, Ramsgate, on March 6 this year.

A staff member at the Richmond Road school contacted police soon after 9am that day. Police cordoned off the area, isolated the package and moved the children and staff to a safe haven within the premises.

A specialist police team attended and tested the powder, determining it was safe. The school was reopened after two and a half hours for parents to collect their children.

Pratt has been bailed and will appear at Margate Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, July 10.