Boots in Ashford town centre was evacuated after smoke was seen billowing from the building.

Shoppers and staff left the store just before midday yesterday (Thursday).

The High Street store was closed and the alarm ringing out but it is not believed to have been caused by a fire.

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Today, Boots confirmed that the issue was down to a fault with the alarm system.

The entire ground floor of the shop was filled with smoke and the inside could not be seen from the street.

Staff guarded the doors while the cloud disappeared inside before reopening at 1pm.

A spokesman for the store said: "It was a fault with the alarm system – engineers were called out to the store immediately."

VIDEO: Smoke pouring from Boots store in Ashford

It is not the first time the system has caused the store to fill with smoke.

In December 2013, fire crews were called after the smoke cloak went off accidentally.