A machete and combat style knife were discovered in a backpack during a routine police search in Chatham.

The officers were patrolling the town when a person came to their attention in the High Street at 4.45pm on Sunday (April 16).

Officers believed the man may have been involved in drug dealing and stopped him before carrying out a search.

They found a machete and a combat style knife hidden inside a backpack and the man was subsequently arrested.

Keegan Mascarenhas, 18, of Appledore Road, Gillingham, has been charged with possession of a bladed object in a public place.

He was bailed upon charge and is due to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 24.