Specialist police units swooped into Faversham yesterday following reports of a possibly armed man on the prowl.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "We were called at 2.25pm following a report of a man believed to be seen walking and holding a gun in Abbey Fields.

"Armed officers attended as a precaution and carried out an extensive search of the area alongside a police helicopter."

Police say that at 5pm they attended an address at Station Road, Herne Bay, and spoke to a man matching the description.

But, they stress, no weapons were found and no arrests were made.

The spokesman added: "Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the incident."

Early tweets on this incident, unconfirmed, said that armed police had also been in the town's Belvedere Road, looking for someone in the area of the creek.