Swarms of bees have moved into Brent Cross – but there will be no string in the tail for shoppers.

Thousands of the animals have moved into the Prince Charles Drive shopping centre to help turn the decline in bee populations across the UK.

Teresa Walden, the centre’s commercialisation manager, has become the first official Brent Cross Beekeeper.

She said: “We are constantly trying to think of ways to mitigate potential impacts on the environment and given the decline in the bee population and the catastrophic effect this could have on fruit and vegetable production we thought it would be a positive move to introduce bee colonies.

“By having them here we are doing our bit to help the North London bee population and ensuring vegetation in the area thrives rather than declines.”

The 50,000 bees are being kept in a hive on a quiet corner of the centre and out of site of shoppers.

The centre also plans to start producing its own honey.