A heroic window cleaner has described the moment he chased a hooded robber wielding an axe in Herne Bay town centre.

Dad-of-one Daniel Fullagar, 33, was working in William Street when he saw the man dash out of Claybrooks jewellers.

About 20 gold rings worth thousands of pounds were swiped in the raid, which happened just before 10am on Tuesday.

“I had just finished cleaning the windows at the Cats Protection shop nearby when I saw two members of the public wrestling with a man outside Claybrooks,” Mr Fullagar told the Gazette.

“As soon as I saw he had an axe and was starting to run away I jumped into my van and followed him. I thought he could have been a terrorist.

“I followed him to a car park in Underdown Road, where I got his number plate and told police.”

"I feel like I have done my duty..." - Daniel Fullagar

Mr Fullagar, of Tyler Hill Road, Canterbury, pursued the car until Beacon Hill before returning to check on the shop’s staff.

Police launched a helicopter search on Tuesday but are still hunting for the man.

A staff member at Claybrooks said the man leapt over the counter before taking the jewellery.

Mr Fullagar, who has run Clearly Better Window Cleaners for three years, added: “The police said thank you for what I did and I feel like I have done my duty. I have always said that if something happened like that, I would be the first to respond. I am proud of what I did.

“When I saw him going in the direction of my daughter’s school at Herne Bay Infants, I didn’t know what his intentions were, so I followed him.

“We shouldn’t have things like that going on in the town.”

It was reported another member of the public landed a punch on the robber as he fled.