A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in Hitchin after dustbin collectors reported seeing someone with a machete.

Police told the Comet officers were called to Hardy Close at 11.12am after reports of a man with a knife.

A force spokeswoman said: “The arrested person is a 16-year-old boy from Hitchin. He remains in police custody at this time.

“He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article in a public place and affray.”

Neighbours reported that the person had been threatening the dustbin collectors with a machete – but North Herts District Council, which is responsible for waste collection, told the Comet this was not the case.

A district council spokeswoman said bin collectors had seen the person with the knife, reported this to police and subsequently spoken to officers. She said they had not been threatened.