The organisers of a car meet in Southall have issued a statement after armed police were called to the scene on Sunday night (May 29) and the gathering was broken up.

The monthly 'West London Meet' was held at Hayes Bridge Retail Park, where enthusiasts gathered in the car park as engines were revved and wheels spun.

However, the event was interrupted when police officers intercepted a vehicle they had been following from Ealing after reports of a firearm being seen in a car.

A person was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm amid dramatic and chaotic scenes in and around the retail park.

Police dogs were brought in and the police helicopter hovered above the area for almost two hours until around 10.30pm.

The Metropolitan Police added that no firearm had been recovered during the incident.

Arrest at Hayes Bridge Retail Park car meet
Arrest during Hayes Bridge Retail Park car meet

The founder of West London Meet told getwestlondon that at first just one car with two officers turned up at the retail park.

"Once the two officers found who they were looking for, they tried to subdue the suspect," he said.

"At that point the crowd that had gathered around the officers started to throw things and shout offensive words.

"From that point on things got out of control. The officers called for back-up and before we knew it there were 20 to 30 police cars.

"Armed police turned up with police dogs to relax the crowd as everyone was full of adrenaline at that point.

"The police car blocked off the entrance to the car park and made enough space at the exit for one car to leave at a time.

"I personally saw over 100 police officers at the scene."

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A statement posted on the West London Meet Instagram page read: "In regards of the meet held on 28/05/17, we apologise for the meet being shut down.

"We spoke to the police and they said the reason for it being shut down was not because of the meet, but due to the police looking for someone in the vicinity, and as the crowd grew more aggravated, the police called for back-up.

"We will carry on with the meets so keep an eye out for the next one".

One local resident who was walking past the meet before police arrived told how she saw teenagers and young children admiring the cars on display.

"I walked by and when I came back 25 minutes later there were armed police everywhere, with a riot police van and several cars filled with police officers," she said.

"People were shouting rumours, saying there was a stolen Volkswagen Golf or that two bottles had been thrown at the officers."

Police dog at Southall car meet
Police dog grabbing hold of man at the car meet

Police also made six further arrests for public order offences and other offences including possession of drugs and assault on police.

A second police officer suffered a broken finger during the incident.

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