A woman in her 20s has been arrested on suspicion of wasting police time after a viral social media claim of a gang rape sparked days of alarm in a Kent town.

The allegation - shared widely on Facebook - claimed a woman had been attacked by four men in tracksuits at Milton Regis Recreation Ground at around 9pm on Saturday.

The post quickly spread across local groups, including the 42,000-member Gossip Board, urging anyone with information to come forward.

But police say they were never directly contacted about the alleged assault and, after launching inquiries based on the online claims, found no evidence that such an attack had taken place.

Officers arrested a woman on Wednesday and took her to a local police station for questioning. She has since been released on bail while investigations continue.

Swale district commander Chief Inspector Vanessa Foster said: 'We were made aware of social media posts about an allegation of rape.

'Despite not receiving a direct report to the force about the alleged offence, officers have conducted initial inquiries based on the information available.

'At this time, we have found no evidence to suggest the offence took place.

'It is important the local community is assured that we take allegations of this nature seriously and those responsible for the social media post have been spoken to directly.

'This has resulted in the arrest of a woman in her 20s on suspicion of wasting police time. She has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

'I want victims of sexual assault and rape to know we will take their reports seriously, we will carry out a full and thorough investigation, and we will provide them with the support they need.'