Striking photographs show a usually busy town centre almost completely empty after dozens of shops were forced to close.

Non-essential stores across the county have shut after new Tier 4 restrictions, announced yesterday by Boris Johnson, were introduced today.

Pictures sent to KentOnline show the centre of Maidstone looking eerily quiet, with just a smattering of visitors in main shopping district.

A resident said: "The town is overall very quiet, but a few pockets of people have ventured out.

"The busiest place is M&S on Week Street, which has a food hall."

The resident also says there was a significant drop in footfall in and around Fremlin Walk today.

This comes after crowds of shoppers rushed to Bluewater yesterday, the county's largest shopping centre, after it was revealed that Kent was set to have stricter coronavirus rules.

Lines of cars formed along the A2 slip road at Bean, which directs traffic towards the complex; while hundreds of people were also snapped inside as they browsed stores for last-minute Christmas gifts.

Under the new restrictions, which came into place at midnight, all non-essential stores have closed and travel bans have been imposed.

The mixing of households has also been significantly reduced under the new rules - scuppering many people's plans for the festive period.

Speaking from Downing Street yesterday, the Prime Minister revealed the county would be placed under strict Tier 4 restrictions, amid growing concerns over a mutant strain of coronavirus in the South East.

He said: "These areas will enter a new Tier 4, which will be broadly equivalent to the national restrictions in place in England in November," the Conservative leader explained.

"That means residents in those areas must stay at home, apart from limited exemptions set out in law.

"Non-essential retail, gyms and leisure facilities, and personal care services must close. People must work from home where they can.

"People should not enter or leave Tier 4 areas, and Tier 4 residents must not stay overnight away from home.

"Individuals can only meet one person from another household in an outdoor space."

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