A swarm of bees scattered shoppers and al fresco diners and drinkers in Stevenage Old Town this afternoon.

The honey bees, following a queen, appeared in their thousands at the southern end of the High Street at around 2.30pm stretching for around 40 metres.

They have now settled in a tree outside Prezzo restaurant.

Owner of Boys 2 Men hairdressers, Craig Chalkright said people were alarmed.

“They just swarmed. It sounds stupid but cars were going slow and people were pressed up against the windows of the restaurants. There were lots of people running - women with pushchairs. Two people came into the hairdressers with stings.”

A bee swarm forced the closure of an area outside Tesco in the new town on Friday. The insects were collected by environmental specialists from the borough council and released away from the town.