A section of Maidstone Road in Rochester has been taped off by police investigating an alleged rape.

Officers with sniffer dogs have been investigating in the area near Wake Road for several hours on the grass verge.

A supervisor at the Shell garage, arrived for work at 11am to find uniformed police officers at the scene.

Two officers have commandeered his office while they carry out their investigation including examining his CCTV.

He was told they have been there since about 6am.

He said: "It looked as though they were focusing on footage about 2.20am."

He added that "a fairly lengthy" piece of the embankment opposite the garage had been taped off.

The garage is open for business as usual.

"I asked what was going on but they were giving nothing," he added.

Another eyewitness said: "There are about six or seven uniformed police who appear to be looking for something.

"There are also two marked police cars at the scene."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said it is not "prison related".

Mum-of-three, Emma Glanville said she saw several policemen taking statements from staff at the Kent Mart.

She said: "I saw a man I assumed was with police in plain clothes looking down on to the grass.

"I asked a policeman if it was to do with any commotion I heard at midnight and he said it wasn't."

Resident John Bowie, 82, who lives in Maidstone Road, first noticed police tape going up yesterday afternoon. The police went away but returned this morning.

Mr Bowie said: "I looked out of his window at about 8am after a neighbour woke me up as he was going off to work.

"I noticed the tape had been extended and the forensic vehicle was at the scene.

"A policeman and woman were standing at either end of the cordon not letting anyone pass."

Mum Mrs Salem, aged 45, was woken by flashing blue lights coming through her bedroom window at about 3am.

She got out to see what was happening and saw two police cars parked outside her house.

She said: "I saw the cars outside my house which is unusual, I knew something had happened and thought it might be serious."