One of the county's best known shopping centres has denied claims a coronavirus sufferer visited the site.

The Ashford Designer Outlet on Kimberley Way has been the centre of COVID-19 rumours since Saturday.

It has widely been suggested that a member of Nike's head office had popped into the Outlet branch on his way back to London from Amsterdam.

It was suggested he'd later been diagnosed with coronavirus.

However a statement issued today by the centre seeks to quell these fears.

A spokesman said: "Following recent speculation about the possibility of a brand partner employee testing positive for the coronavirus, McArthurGlen would like to confirm that at this time we have received no information to corroborate this.

"We would like to reassure our customers that we are working closely with the NHS and Public Health England to ensure that the welfare of our customers and employees is protected.

"The current advice is that there is no need to close or partially close the centre at this time and that there should be no increased concern as a result of this speculation."

This assertion comes days after Ashford's first case - a pupil at The North School - was confirmed.

Every one of the town's supermarkets have seen panic buying of toilet roll and hygiene products, with delivery times for hand sanitiser also being shared between residents through the grapevine.

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