A brave bystander prised a knife out of the hand of a would-be bank robber, who allegedly targeted two branches within minutes of each other.

Police were called at around 3.15pm yesterday, after a man reportedly entered HSBC in Rainham Shopping Centre armed with a knife.

He is said to have threatened members of staff, but left when they refused to cooperate.

About 15 minutes later, a man then entered the nearby NatWest branch in the High Street, again threatening staff at knifepoint and demanding money.

But he was foiled when a member of the public took the knife off him. The suspect then fled the scene.

Paul Neaverson, 61, of no fixed address, was arrested minutes later in the High Street.

Today, he was charged with two counts of attempted robbery and remanded in custody to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court court tomorrow.