Two men arrested after attempted raid at jewellers

Two men have been arrested following an attempted raid at a jewellers.

Essex Police said it received reports of the suspects smashing their way into a jewellery shop in Weston Road, Southend-on-Sea, at about 10:15 GMT on Monday.

It said substantial damage was caused and the men, who fled the scene in a vehicle, were stopped in Bedfordshire a short time later and remain in police custody.

Southend-on-Sea City Council said its community safety officers had "stepped up high-visibility patrols in the town centre to reassure local businesses and visitors".

The council added that "weapons, including a machete and axes" were used during the incident.

Police said it was unclear if anything was stolen.

Det Insp Marcus Dodd said: "I'm aware this is a concerning incident for the public to witness in Southend and it needed a strong policing response.

"Within minutes of the extremely helpful calls and information given by members of the public, we were responding and on the scene.

"Thanks to this work, two suspects are in custody, important evidence has been seized and our investigation is progressing well."

Martin Terry, an Independent councillor and cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services on the authority, said: "This was a very serious incident, and I want to thank both Essex Police and our council teams for their swift response.

"Southend remains a safe city, and incidents like this are thankfully extremely rare."

The force appealed for anyone with information or footage of the incident to come forward.

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