A 12-year-old boy alleged to have been armed with a knife is among a gang of five arrested following three armed robberies in the Dane John Gardens in Canterbury.

The youngster was taken into custody along with two other boys and two men following reports of the robberies in the park on Tuesday.

All five were arrested at about 7.30pm, with officers using a police dog to help apprehend them.

They are two men from Ashford, aged 20 and 18, two boys from Folkestone, aged 12 and 16, and a 17-year-old boy from Northfleet, who is alleged to have had a hammer.

All five have been released on bail until tomorrow (Friday).

The arrests come months after claims the park has descended into a state of lawlessness from residents who called a crisis meeting with police and council officials.

People living near the park said vandalism, fighting, drug abuse and drunken disturbance had spiralled out of control.

The site once had Green Flag status after winning a £1m lottery grant in 2003 but it has since been the scene of a string of crimes, including a killing, an attempted rape and a violent gang attack.