There was smoke without fire in Ilford town centre this morning after a high-tech burglar alarm pumped fog into the street.
Witnesses reported a fire after seeing the smoke pour out of H&T Pawnbrokers, in High Road, but there was no cause for concern.
A member of staff had accidentally set off a burglar alarm shortly after 9am.
The “fog bandit” system activates when an intruder is detected to create a thick, dense smoke that aims to stop potential burglars finding what they are attempting to steal.
A H&T employee, who did not want to be named, said the alarm has been switched off.
She added: “It happens to the best of us, we’ve all set off an alarm by accident.”
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