A swarm of up to 5,000 bees brought panic to Canterbury city centre on Monday morning.

The black cloud of the insects descended on Guildhall Street shortly before midday, scattering shoppers before settling in a cluster on the branch of a tree.

Police sealed of the street and called a beekeeper to move them.

They were tackled by Simon Reed, from Petham, who climbed a stepladder in full protective clothing to knock the cluster into a box.

He managed to catch most of the swarm but hundreds of others swirled angrily around him and a police officer was stung on the arm as he held the ladder.

Mr Reed said: “Honey bees normally swarm a bit early in the year but it was too cold and wet for them. They are not normally aggressive unless they feel threatened.”

He added: “It’s not possible to catch all of them in a situation like this, but I shall now put them in my own hive. We have to do all we can for our bees because they are a threatened species.”