A police helicopter circled over a town centre amid reports a man was seen with a "rusty machete".

The aircraft was spotted hovering low over Ashford at about 2.20pm.

One shopper said she was eating at Warrens Bakery in the County Square shopping centre when armed police entered.

Another said: "This guy was walking out of the centre towards Bank Street and turned to shout at a group of men.

"The other guys - there were four of them - had masks on and the security guards in the centre saw they had knives.

"When they walked past me I saw one had a rusty machete, it was completely on show."

Schools are now sending out emails alerting parents of the incident.

Kent Police has confirmed it's received reports of the incident, saying: "We are attending Ashford town centre following reports of a group of people causing a disturbance in County Square at 1.34pm.

"Some of the group were reported to be carrying suspected weapons and have since dispersed. No injuries have been reported.

"Officers are working with the National Police Air Service (NPAS) as part of their enquiries in the area to establish the circumstances of the incident."

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford

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