A SWARM of bees sparked panic across a Witney shopping centre park at the weekend.

The hive came out of nowhere as spooked shoppers ran for cover outside Waitrose in the Woolgate Centre in Witney.

Claire Lawrence and husband Jesse said they had no idea where the bees came from.

Mrs Lawrence added: "We just came out of Waitrose and they swarmed near us and went past.

"Nobody was stung, but they just kept going round in circles."

Swarming is the process by which a new honey bee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees.

It can contain thousands to tens of thousands of bees.