Headcams worn by pub and club bouncers in Margate could provide crucial evidence following two alleged assaults last weekend.

The hi-tech devices, which record colour footage and sound, are the latest tools to be used in a crackdown on crime and violence in the town.

Kent Police said the gadgets were used to capture incidents at the Mechanical Elephant on Marine Terrace on Sunday, January 18, in which a 20-year-old Ramsgate man suffered a fractured jaw and damage to his teeth and a 24-year-old man from Margate got a black eye.

Detectives believe the footage could now be used in any future prosecution cases.

Tiffany Hall, community safety officer with Thanet Community Safety Partnership, said: "It’s reassuring to know that the head cameras can be used to aid the police following incidents like these.

"They have proved to be a great deterrent to people that may normally cause trouble."

Lightweight headcams were rolled out in Margate last year following a successful six-month trial in Plymouth, during which the number of arrests after violent offences increased by 85 per cent.

Ms Hall said the technology could now be introduced in Ramsgate and Broadstairs in the future.

Two men from Cliftonville and Margate, both aged 25, were arrested on suspicion of assault in the Marine Terrace incident and have been bailed until Monday, March 23.