Tourists and shoppers in Canterbury got a shock this morning when the Cathedral was evacuated due to a fire alarm. Kent Fire Service sent six engines to scene, but the engines weren’t able to immediately access the cathedral grounds due to scaffolding on the Christ Church Gate.

Photo by Daniel English

One onlooker said: “They usually test this once a month, but that’s only with one or two engines. There’s loads here today so it must be serious.”

The fire service had to remove a pole of the scaffolding from the gate before the engines could access the cathedral grounds, which caused a lot of concern from the crowds gathered in the Butter Market around midday on Sunday 21 June.

Photo by Daniel English

After half an hour of struggling to remove the pole blocking their way, the engines entered the cathedral grounds, to attend what turned out to be a minor fire alarm. The central concern then became how long it had taken the fire service to gain entry to the grounds.

Photo by Daniel English

The cathedral remained evacuated for a while after the incident, but the Butter Market soon returned to normal following the excitement.

Photo by Daniel English