by Hayley Robinson

An internet message about an attempted child abduction from a Sittingbourne supermarket has been branded a hoax.

Warnings began circulating on the social networking website Facebook last week that a foreign gang recently grabbed a youngster at Asda and tried to smuggle them out of the Mill Way store by changing their clothes and putting them in a wig.

But the store’s management was quick to quash the alarming tale as a nationwide rumour which has been doing the rounds for the past decade.

The store is issuing a plea to customers not to be taken in by the story, and the company’s head office has also put a message on its website urging parents not to believe the urban myth.

Sittingbourne store manager Keith Powell said: "This horrible rumour is totally untrue. It is actually a hoax that started in the US more than a decade ago and rears its ugly head every now and again.

"Our customers should rest assured that we take their safety extremely seriously and have excellent procedures in place to help when a child is lost in our store."

Mid Kent police said there had not been any reports of an attempted abduction of a child from the store.

A spokesman said: "Public safety is a priority, and any reports are taken seriously and investigated by officers.

"It is important that any information in relation to any incidents of this kind should be reported to police as a priority on 01622 690690."