Police at the scene in Broad Street, Canterbury, where the suspicious package was found

Part of Canterbury is sealed off this afternoon after a suspicious package was discovered by a off-duty police officer.

Children at the Diocesan Payne Smith School plus homes and business in Broad Street, Northgate and The Borough have been evacuated.

Police also advised that the Cathedral close its Precincts to new visitors

The area around the package has been cordoned off to the public and traffic and people have been warned they face a wait of several hours at least.

A police spokesman said the package was discovered at around 1.15pm and the area cleared while a bomb disposal team was on its way to the scene.

Police cordon off St Radigund's Street, Canterbury, while a bomb disposal team investigates a suspicious package

The Chair beauty salon in The Borough is among the businesses evacuated. Owner Katie Hopkins said: "It's a nightmare. We were about to go to work on some of our clients when we were told to evacuate."

Three weeks ago a hoax bomber brought chaos to Canterbury city centre after a fake bomb was discovered in Old Dover Road and a suspicious fire started in Marks and Spencer.

Billy Colfer, of Memories florist in Northgate, added: "It's strange to see this happening again in three weeks in Canterbury. I'm a bit puzzled as to why someone might want to do leave suspicious packages in Canterbury."

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