Welwyn Garden City residents were forced to hide in shops after a man with metal pole threatened and chased people on Saturday night.

Officers were called to Shoplands at around 9.19pm on Saturday, October 21, following reports of a man threatening several people with a metal pole.

No injuries were reported, and the suspect reportedly left the area in a Range Rover-style vehicle.

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You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, via online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact, or by calling the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/84253/23.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Residents in Shoplands reported being locked in shops for their own safety during the incident.

"We were locked inside the shop. I only saw him quickly as I was waiting outside when some teenagers ran past screaming," read a post in the Welwyn Hatfield Unhinged Facebook group.

"My friend who was in the shop called me to get inside and they locked the door."

Another posted saying that her "daughter was chased" by the man, and was left "shaken up" by the incident.