Retail units at a shopping complex on Sheppey have remained closed today after the wall of a shop "moved" and cracked.

New owners Lightstone Neatscourt LLP confirmed this morning that the retail section at Queenborough’s Neats Court will be shut while engineers assess the structure of the units.

The shops closed are Sports Direct, B&M, Iceland, The Original Factory Shop, Cancer Research, GHM and Poundland.

Firefighters were called to the retail park at 4pm yesterday after a partition wall between the Cancer Research UK building and the GHM! (Guess How Much) store next door "moved" and cracks became clearly visible.

There was also damage to an internal wall in the neighbouring B&M shop.

A fire service spokesman said all shops were evacuated and no one was thought to have been injured.

The site has now been handed to the South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership team.

Astrid Cruickshank, director of Lightstone Neatscourt LLP, said: “The units will remain closed until each one has been surveyed by an engineer.

“As I understand it, there were no injuries which is obviously good news.”

A spokesman for South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership said the damage was due to Storm Doris.

He said: “The damage at Neat’s Court is related to yesterday’s extreme weather conditions, with wind pressure affecting and moving internal compartment walls, presenting potential danger.

“Our surveyors have revisited the site today to assess the extent of the damage, if any, to other units.

“For safety reasons, we have advised occupiers to have their premises checked by their own surveyors before re-opening their stores to the public. It is anticipated that suitable checks will be completed imminently, allowing shops to re-open shortly.”

It is not yet known when the shops will reopen.