A town centre leisure centre was evacuated and the bomb squad called after reports of a suspicious package which turned out to be a hoax.

Officers were called to Tannery Lane in Ashford town centre just before 6pm after a scare at the Civic Centre.

Police attended and assisted in evacuating nearby buildings while a precautionary cordon was put in place.

“An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Ministry of Defence also attended and the package was not found to be harmful,” a spokesperson for the force said.

“The cordon has since been lifted.”

A spokesperson for the MoD added an Army EOD team was called out to Ashford at the request of Kent Police.

It has since been confirmed the item was assessed to be a hoax.

Police were stationed at the top of the road, which leads to the Stour Centre.

A parent told KentOnline: “My son was evacuated from the pool and they said ‘code blue’ over the tannoy.

“There is a cordon from the Flour Mills car park to the underground of the Stour Centre car park and up to the top of Tannery Lane.”

Ashford Borough Council’s offices in the road were also evacuated.

The authority posted on Facebook, saying: “Our offices, including access via Tannery Lane and Station Approach, are currently cordoned off due to reports of a suspicious package being left in the area.

“Kent Police are investigating and access will be re-opened as soon as it is safe to do so.”

The road has now reopened.