Customers and staff made for the exits at Bluewater this afternoon after alarms went off.

A witness said she heard alarms as she walked into the centre and the shutters of several shops rolled down, prompting people to leave the mall.

Bluewater confirmed it was a false alarm, and it is now business as usual.

The centre was evacuated due to a bomb scare in November last year.

In this instance, Bluewater tweeted a fire alarm had gone off in one of the stores, but it was a false alarm.

A spokesman said there was no official evacuation.