A swarm of thousands of bees was spotted on a historic structure along a busy route.

The cluster was rescued from Westgate Towers in Canterbury by a beekeeper as cars passed through the city.

The swarm was airborne before help arrived but settled on the medieval gatehouse - which is also home to a nest further up the structure.

Beekeeper Michael Cox says the winged insects swarm as a natural part of their reproductive process.

“A colony of bees lives further up in the structure of Westgate Towers,” the 41-year-old said.

“At this time of year they’re building up to the summer when the old queen will leave and she’ll take a lot of bees with her - like the swarm I caught - and the rest of the bees in the colony will make a new queen.

“They fly through the air so people will see lots of bees swarming and then they’ll land somewhere in a cluster for a couple of hours up to a few days.

“While they are resting, the bees will send scouts out to find a new location to set up a nest.”

Mr Cox, who started beekeeping as a hobby when he was 15, estimates he rescued about 5,000 of them, which he described as a “moderately sized swarm”.

“It is common in urban areas as people will have hives in their gardens,” he added. “Responsible beekeepers would stop their colonies swarming.

“But there are also lots of wild colonies in urban areas as they live in roofs, chimneys, old trees and all sorts of things.

“Places with lots of buildings tend to be good bee habitats.”

Once he had caught the insects, Mr Cox carried the swarm through the high street as his own hives were at the other end of the city.

The Canterbury Beekeepers Association member usually keeps about 10 hives at a time.

Mr Cox was called to Westgate Towers at about 3pm on Thursday to collect the bees.

He says people should not panic and call a beekeeper if they spot a swarm.

“They tend to be very docile as they’re 100% focused on staying with the queen,” he said. “Provided people aren’t aggravating them, you will be absolutely safe around them.

“I didn’t need to wear my protective equipment to catch the swarm on Thursday, so no glasses or suit.

“As long as you’re calm and relaxed, there will not be any issues.

“You should call a beekeeper if you see a swarm. They’re not a risk while they’re in the cluster but if they move into someone’s house, that’s a problem.”

Most swarms occur on warm sunny days from May to the end of July.