Salisbury Cathedral had to be evacuated today (Friday). 

Firefighters were called to the scene after reports of a fire alarm sounding in a kitchen area at about 11.25am.

But the incident turned out to be a false alarm.

Jane Morgan, the director of development and communications at Salisbury Cathedral, said: “It was a false alarm and a bit inconvenient given our Contemporary Craft event but an excellent test of our evacuation systems.

"We had the cathedral clear within two minutes, and the Cloisters evacuated shortly afterwards.  The fire brigade got to us exceptionally quickly, which was reassuring. So all in all, a bit of excitement and an unexpected opportunity to test our drills.”