TWO men are in custody today after they were arrested by armed police who seized them in a Kent town centre yesterday afternoon in connection with a murder inquiry.

Kent officers acting on behalf of the Metropolitan Police arrested two men in their mid-20s shortly after 2.30pm in the High Street, Broadstairs. They will face questioning later.

Jim Yarlett, who runs JY Electricals nearby, saw the drama unfold. He said: "A black Renault Megane car pulled into the parking bay outside Pierremont Park. As two men got out, their car was quickly boxed in by the police, driving unmarked cars.

"The two men scarpered into Pierremont Park and the police chased after them with their guns drawn.

"There were five or six bangs. The police returned with two men and pinned them up against the park wall. They were searched and handcuffed and they took them away.

"I think the police were trying to keep the whole event low key. They just bundled the men into the back of the van."

Shoppers and residents reported hearing gun shot noises during the incident but the police say that officers used distraction devices that make loud bangs. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: "No shots were fired."

The investigation centres on the death of a 39-year-old man in Romford, Essex, who was shot by a masked gunman on Friday afternoon and later died in hospital from his injuries.

Police say the gunman and another man made off from the scene in a unknown vehicle.