A 17-year-old will appear in court after being charged in connection with a town centre disturbance.

Police swarmed into Ashford at 1.30pm on Tuesday, after receiving reports that an armed group had been spotted in the County Square Shopping Centre.

According to eyewitnesses, the gang rampaged through the centre while flashing knives and a machete.

Originally the police stated that the group had dispersed but a subsequent search - aided by police helicopters - has led to the arrest of seven people in connection with the incident.

A 26-year-old man from London, four 17-year-old boys, an 18-year old man and a 19-year-old man, all from Ashford, were arrested on suspicion of affray and were taken into custody.

Now one of the 17-year-olds has been charged and is being kept in custody until his trial at Margate Magistrates’ Court later today.

Two 17-year-old boys and the 19-year-old were released on bail and the London man was released under investigation.

The remaining two people arrested were released without charge.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.