A teenage girl was hospitalised after drinking alcohol outside a youth event held in a church hall.

Police and paramedics were called to the St Simon’s Catholic Church in Brookfield Road in South Ashford after reports that a girl under the age of 18 had been drinking.

A youth event was being held in the hall at the same time, and witnesses say some youngsters were outside causing a nuisance.

But police say they received no reports of a disturbance. Spokesman Steve Knight said one teenage girl had to be treated for being unwell, but said she fell ill outside the church hall.

He said: “An event was being held there and officers spoke to staff afterwards, but there was no evidence that any alcohol had been consumed inside the premises.”

Tim Shamoon is responsible for renting out the hall, and said it had been used by organisers of a separate youth event on Saturday.

He said: “This is the first I have heard of news that there were police there. Normally we hand over the keys and it is privately used.

“It was a particular group for young people which offered them somewhere for the evening. We’ve had no complaints about the event, and it was a one off. I will be speaking to the organisers to find out what happened.”

Ambulance service spokesman Rich Airey said the teenage girl was assessed at the scene before being taken to the William Harvey Hospital.