Man arrested over suspicious package in Dartford

Army bomb disposal experts were sent to Prospect Place retail park in Dartford

A 29-year-old has been arrested following the discovery of a suspicious package at a retail park in Dartford on Wednesday.

A police cordon was set up after police searched a man acting suspiciously and found him to be in possession of a suspicious package.

Explosives experts - who attended the scene - deemed the item as "not posing a risk to public safety".

The suspect remains in custody.

Kent Police confirmed proactive patrols stopped and searched a man acting suspiciously in Prospect Place at about 11:30 BST on Wednesday morning.

"An item was located and as a precaution a cordon was put in place while an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the British Army attended, to determine whether it posed a danger to the public," the force said.

The item was later deemed by the EOD team as not posing a risk to public safety.

Pictures from the scene showed bomb disposal experts outside a Pizza Hut in the retail park.

Part of the cordon within the retail park will remain in place until further notice, police confirmed

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson said: "It was a concerning situation. I am very grateful to Kent Police for dealing with this matter in a professional manner.

"I appreciate that the road closures caused inconvenience to people but Kent Police could not take any chances."

Pictures on social media showed bomb disposal experts outside a Pizza Hut in the retail park.

In a tweet, Kent County Council said the A226 Highfield Road was closed, but had since reopened.