A swarm of up to 5,000 bees brought panic to a city centre.

The black cloud of the insects descended on Canterbury shortly before midday on Monday, scattering shoppers before settling in a cluster on the branch of a tree.

Police sealed off the street and called a beekeeper to move them.

They were tackled by Simon Reed, from Petham, who climbed a stepladder in full protective clothing to knock the cluster into a box.

He managed to catch most of the swarm, but hundreds of others swirled angrily around him and a police officer was stung on the arm as he held the ladder.

Mr Reed said: "Honey bees normally swarm a bit early in the year, but it was too cold and wet for them. They are not normally aggressive unless they feel threatened."

He added: "It’s not possible to catch all of them in a situation like this, but I shall now put them in my own hive. We have to do all we can for our bees because they are a threatened species."