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Maidstone Crown Court evacuated

Maidstone Crown Court was evacuated this afternoon following a false alarm.

People, including solicitors, jurors and defendants, stood outside the building in Barker Road in the rain waiting to be told it was safe to return to court.

After a short while they were allowed back inside.

People shelter outside Maidstone Crown Court
People shelter outside Maidstone Crown Court
People return to Maidstone Crown Court after the evacuation
People return to Maidstone Crown Court after the evacuation

Some of those standing outside believed a fire alarm had caused the evacuation while others thought a hoax call to the authorities had sparked the action.

John Parker was attending a court hearing at the time of the evacuation. He had been waiting outside for about 45 minutes.

He said: "The alarm just went off and everyone got evacuated. Everyone was calm and we all just came outside."

But a Courts and Tribunals Service spokesman confirmed the evacuation was sparked by an alarm sounding in error, with officials looking into what had triggered it.

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