A Harlesden High Street businessman has described the moment armed police swooped in and shut the road on Sunday afternoon (April 22) .

Police responding to reports of a man allegedly entering a business with a gun cordoned off High Street at the junction with Park Parade shortly after 3pm.

Officers remained at the scene carrying out investigations until 9.30pm.

Speaking to getwestlondon , a local businessman and eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, said: "We saw armed police arriving fairly sharply in police cars.

"They all had weapons, they came out [of their vehicles], went into Costa [Coffee] then moved next door, two shops to the left there's a large supermarket and they spent a lot of time there."

The eyewitness added: "They spent a lot of time [in the High Street], pretty much the whole day from about 3pm to 9pm.

"They closed the High Street and shut Park Parade with a van across the front at about 4pm.

"And anyone coming down the hill from the opposite direction had to take a right, so the traffic was backed up."

There was a heavy police presence in Harlesden High Street on Sunday afternoon

"There were a lot of gawkers," he said. "As soon as they put the police tape across the High Street there must have been at any given time between 50 to 60 people kind of gawking.

"People kept saying 'they're upstairs' - there are lots of flats above Costa so they [the police] could've been up there."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said on Monday (April 23): "Police were called to reports of a firearms incident in Harlesden High Street at 3.20pm on Sunday. A man in possession of a firearm was allegedly seen entering a community coffee shop."

Armed police attended reports of a firearms incident in Harlesden High Street

"Firearms officers attended the scene and conducted a search of the surrounding area," the spokesman added.

"There was no evidence of any shots being fired. No individual nor any firearm was found."

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident and an investigation into what happened is ongoing.