A security scare caused hundreds of people to leave Lakeside shopping centre as a loudspeaker message repeatedly told them to evacuate the complex.
The warning, which went off twice in just a few hours, sparked safety fears and led to 20 shops being temporarily closed.
Confused staff joined members of the public on pavements and in car parks around the centre while security and management sorted out the problem.
One 22-year-old worker, who didn't want to be named, said: "We had to tell the customers, shut down the shop and all evacuate the building.
"It sounded like a fire alarm with the message 'evacuate the building' being repeated.
"People were being pretty calm."
Mike Pearse, general manager at Lakeside, confirmed there was a malfunction in the public address system which caused the message to go out at midday and around 5pm on Saturday.
He said: "This was a malfunction only and at no point was the safety of our shoppers under question."
Published Tuesday August 3, 2004
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