ANGRY brides-to-be and their relatives besieged a Kent bridal wear shop fearing their dresses would not be ready in time.

Police had to be called in as angry crowds gathered outside Pour Amore in Watling Street, Gillingham

Officers ended up taking over the running of the shop on Wednesday, handing out dresses to panic-stricken brides.

A police spokesman said: "We had to calm the situation down."

Owner Steve Le Thorn insisted his business was not in trouble. The problems had been caused by customers panicking, he said.

Medway trading standards officers also intervened to help customers get their dresses.

Andy McGrath, head of Trading Standards for Medway Council said: "We have made the unprecedented decision to intervene in this case and help people get their dresses back or money, as best as we can."

The trouble started when customers discovered Sammy’s Bridal in Rochester, Pour Amore’s sister store, had closed suddenly.

A notice in the window referred callers to the company’s Gillingham shop, but a telephone number displayed on the notice was unobtainable. Calls from anxious and tearful brides-to-be soon began pouring into the Medway Messenger’s offices

Rosemary Hartley, 26, from Chatham, who is getting married tomorrow, staged a sit-in protest in Sammy’s from 2pm-7pm last Friday until she got her dress.

She said: "I ordered my dress a year ago and was told that I could pick it up in April.

When I saw that the shop in Rochester was closing I refused to leave until I got my dress."

As worried brides besieged Pour Amore, owner Mr Le Thorn was forced to close the shop early on Monday of last week.

The following day On Tuesday, Mr Le Thorn said he had closed the Rochester shop temporarily because of illness and urged customers not to panic.

He said he had written to customers but people had started coming into his shop to snatch dresses without even waiting for a fitting.

Trouble escalated at the shop as the back entrance was smashed on Tuesday evening and an unknown number of dresses stolen.

Police had to guard the shop during the night.

The shop did not open at all on Wednesday until police persuaded Mr Le Thorn to open up at 3.30pm.

Police allowed people in, one-by-one, to get their dresses if they had a receipt, but could only cope with the mad rush this caused for an hour and had to close.

Mr Le Thorn has assured police that as soon as a stock check has been carried out, the shop will re-open.

For the time being people who have orders with Sammy’s Bridal should call Trading Standards on 0845 4040506 if they are worried.