Emergency services swarmed into a Kent town on Sunday amid fears that a shop was about to collapse.

Police and a search and rescue team from Cranbrook fire station went to Tenterden High Street at 2.20pm following a 999 call about tiles falling off the front of three-storey opticians Batemans.

According to the fire service, the historic building's precarious state was the result of the partial failure of a structural beam supporting the first and second floors.

Crews worked until just after 7.15pm to successfully stabilise the building. No one was hurt.

Jeremy Westgate, co-owner of Kensal and Gretel gift shop next door said: "I didn't hear or see anything. It wasn't until a customer came into the shop and said that tiles had come down.

"I went out and put a small cordon up using some stools and string, because a woman was walking underneath it with a baby buggy with twins."

Kensal and Gretel and Re-Memories antiques shop on the other side of the affected shop were forced to close, but are expected to re-open on Monday afternoon.