Man arrested after ‘suspicious’ package found outside Pizza Hut in Prospect Place retail park, Dartford

A man has been arrested following the evacuation of a retail park after a suspicious package was found.

A large police presence has been at the entrance of the shopping area in Prospect Place, Dartford since around 11am today.

An item was located near the Pizza Hut and a 100m exclusion zone was put in place as a precaution.

A bomb disposal team from the British Army attended to determine whether it posed a danger to the public.

But they later determined the item to pose no safety risk.

At around 11.30am police stopped and searched a man acting suspiciously in Prospect Place.

The 29-year-old was arrested in connection to the incident.

He was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and later bailed pending further inquiries.

Part of the cordon within the retail park remained in place.