Town in lockdown after woman’s fall from roof
Part of Maidstone Town Centre street was sealed off after a woman fell from a multi-storey car park – less than 24 hours after a similar incident.
Buses were diverted and shops were placed in lockdown after worried workers alerted police to a woman climbing onto the roof of The Mall in King Street.
Six police cars, two fire engines and an ambulance arrived from around 2pm on Friday.
A trained negotiator helped officers on the shopping centre roof as schoolchildren and pedestrians on the ground were moved to the opposite side of the street.
The entrance to Boots was locked and estate agents at Page and Wells were asked to remain inside until police asked them to leave.
Estate agent Leanne Highsted saw the woman chain smoking on the car park roof. She later fell and was taken to King’s College Hospital in London. Details
‘We got sent home early because police said people being around was making her nervous’
of her injuries have not been revealed.
Ms Highsted, 21, said: “The alarm bells started ringing when someone in the office saw the woman on the roof at around 3pm.
“Someone ran into the shop next door and they told the security who called the police. Before we knew it police cars were outside and they taped off the front of the office. We got sent home at around 5pm because police said we and people being around her were making her nervous.”
Arriva announced bus services were experiencing major disruptions before the police cordon was lifted at around 6.15pm.
Pedestrians were stopped from walking up Church Street as a precaution while traffic was diverted.
Officers went to an almost identical call to the same car park on Thursday evening following reports of concern for welfare of a woman.
Emergency services were scrambled to the same spot at around 7pm before the woman was lured away from the roof.
It is believed the same woman was involved in both incidents.
A spokesman for the ambulance service said: “On Thursday we were not required for any injuries and we were stood down. On Friday we were called at 3.40pm and ambulance crews attended the scene.
“We took a patient suffering from injuries to King’s College Hospital as a priority.”