A crown court has been evacuated this afternoon due to a fire alarm.

Maidstone Crown Court was emptied just after 2.30pm when the siren started sounding.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service has said that it was a false alarm however.

Judges, lawyers, and members of the public left the Barker Road building and headed for Lockmeadow.

There was not a fire drill scheduled, so the cause of the alarm is not yet known.

Alarms stopped sounding just after 2.50pm, and security personnel could be seen checking the building.

Those waiting outside were allowed back into the court briefly at 3.40pm, but the court was being closed, and they were not allowed to stay inside.

There is still no word on the reason behind this evacuation.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Kent Police have been approached for comment.