Man held after armed police respond to reports of man with weapons

A man has been arrested after armed police descended on streets near a shopping centre following reports of someone on a balcony with weapons.

Roads around the Dockside area in Chatham, Kent, were closed off as officers moved in.

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of firearms offences, Kent Police said.

Police found four suspected imitation firearms.

Video circulating on social media that appears to be from the scene shows a witness pointing out a man on a balcony.

He says: “He’s up there. He’s up there sitting on that yellow thing with a machine gun, a handgun and a rifle.”

Loud bangs can be heard in various videos posted on social media.

Kent Police said officers were called at 8.35am on Wednesday to a “disturbance at a flat” in Dock Head Road.

A spokesman said: “Members of the public reported seeing a man on a balcony with weapons, and patrols, including armed officers, attended the scene.”

The police helicopter was also deployed.

Patrols remain at the scene.