The county's biggest shopping centre has made changes to its rulebook for visitors following a recent spate of robberies.

Bluewater issued a apology to victims last week after police were called to the shopping centre in Greenhithe following reports of gangs carrying out attacks.

Three robberies and two attempted robberies were reported and two 17-year-old boys from London were later arrested.

Now centre chiefs have said they will be updating the code of conduct, displayed in welcome halls, following a meeting with concerned parents.

The rulebook will now include details of where shoppers can obtain assistance from security where needed.

Existing help points will also be made more visible at concierge desks for concerned visitors with a digital awareness campaign to run in parallel.

Last week, the father of one 15-year-old victim took to Facebook to slam the shopping centre for a "lack of compassion".

Darren Smith said he was "disgusted" with the way the centre dealt with the incident, adding they were "essentially left abandoned".

In a video posted on social media, he said: "Bluewater should be totally ashamed for its complete lack of compassion and care of duty after the knife incident.

"We saw nobody for over two hours. They were simply left at the spot he was robbed until we arrived."

The father then launched a petition on Change.org under the alias "Concerned dad" calling for a change in the way the shopping centre deals with such incidents.

It read: "Our children's safety needs to be put above cuts and profit with an increased visibility of security and an increased police presence."

Addressed to Dartford MP Gareth Johnson it has since received more than 15,000 signatures.

Senior general manager at Bluewater Robert Goodman, said the mall would be making the changes with "immediate effect".

She said: "The safety and security of our guests and staff is our highest priority, and we take all instances of theft very seriously.

"Although these instances are rare, we understand they are very upsetting and would like to apologise for the lack of support offered to guests."

The retail hub said it was unable to comment on an ongoing police investigation but would work closely with police based at Bluewater.

It also sought to reassure shoppers there had been no reduction in security staff on site.

Mr Johnson said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the recent incidents, which must have been a very frightening experience for the young victims.

'The safety and security of our guests and staff is our highest priority' Bluewater senior general manager Robert Goodman

"I know that Bluewater ensures security is their highest priority and therefore these sort of incidents are thankfully very rare.

"I have recently visited the police station there and it is clear they operate in a highly-professional way which ensures Bluewater is normally a very safe environment."

This is not the first time the shopping centre has been embroiled in controversy.

Last month a gang of eight masked men threatened to stab a young boy at Bluewater before stealing his phone.

It came just a week after a similar incident in which a man was robbed of his watch, passport and a large quantity of cash in an outside car park at the shopping centre.

In a further incident at nearby Greenhithe station on Wednesday, a 16-year-old girl was robbed by three men.

If anyone witnessed any of the incidents taking place and hasn't spoken to an officer, they are urged to call police on 01474 366 149 quoting 30-1219.

Alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or complete the online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Dartford