Shopkeepers were holed up in their store for more than an hour this morning as police dealt with reports of a man with a knife.

Officers were called at 10.20am to Highfield Link in Collier Row and closed the surrounding roads while they the situation was managed.

A man who works in the Costcutters near where the incident occurred, Hej Patel, said: “On my way to work I was walking down the hill and could see five or six police cars outside the shop and police officers everywhere.

“I was worried because I thought it was happening in my store.”

A man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife shortly before midday and taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody.