Three people have been arrested following an attempted smash and grab robbery at a Watford jewellers this morning.

Police were called to SWAG in the Intu Shopping centre just before 10am after thieves with "sledge hammers" tried to rob it.

Security guard for Primark, Godfrey Aidoo, who witnessed the attempted robbery, said: "I heard this loud noise - bang, bang, bang - I looked into the mall and saw intu guards running towards the Queens Way entrance.

"I turned and saw a group of five guys, three of them were holding a huge hammer and they were coming out of the other entrance, by SWAG."

Mr Aidoo added that one of the thieves smashed one of the entrance doors with the hammer, whilst they were getting away and two of them left the hammers there.

He said: "Three of them grabbed their bikes and headed down the underpass towards the YMCA building. The other two could not get their bikes so were running in the same direction."

A shop worker who asked to remain anonymous said: "This is ridiculous. This is the second robbery now - the guys used sledge hammers to try and break in.

"The centre is fantastic but the thieves need to stop - they are making everyone, especially those of us that work here, feel unsafe."

A shopper said afterwards that the robbery has caused a lot of disruption and too much had been cordoned off.

Mr Aidoo added: "I think the security guards and customers acted really quickly, which is why they were unable to take anything. They tried to surround the robbers and one customer even went after one of them but they got away.

"I don't think they planned this robbery well."

Police and forensics are currently still at the scene and the area around the store has been cordoned off.

The three people arrested are in police custody.