Bikers wielding an axe and a sledge hammer smashed through a jewellery store stealing thousands of pounds worth of gold.

Police were called to a jewellery store in Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury, at around 2pm on Monday September 7 and roads were closed off following a smash-and-grab robbery.

Eight men men are believed to have arrived at The Jewellery store on four mopeds armed with heavy objects, including an axe and a sledge hammer.

The men gained entrance into the shop by smashing the windows before scooping up at least 15 kilos of Indian and Iranian gold jewellery - worth thousands of pounds - in the raid.

The suspects then attempted to flee the scene on the moped but were met by around 40 business owners and passers-by.

Footage captured during the raid shows shopkeepers congregating on the pavement with a number of motorbikes visible in the background.

One shop keeper is seen to throw what appears to be a meat cleaver at the men on the bikes, with others lobbing trolleys and wooden crates in their direction in a bid to prevent the robbery.

A number of people who witnessed the break-in took to social media as the incident continued.

Twitter user @trinigal70 tweeted: "Big things happening in Kingsbury Road. Jewellery shop Ram raided by 5 on bikes."

@lisamarkwell added: "Extremely heavy duty armed robbery in Kingsbury. Road sealed off... Avoid"

Two men were caught by the shop keepers, with one being successfully detained until police arrived but the second struggled free.

One man, a 24-year-old, was arrested nearby on suspicion of armed robbery, and has been taken to a north London police station for questioning.

Police also seized a sledge hammer at the scene.

Officers from Brent and Colindale are on scene and the Flying Squad has been informed.

Detective Inspector Scott Hartley from the Met's Flying Squad said: "This was a brazen robbery carried out in the middle of the day.

“There were lots of passers-by who would have seen the suspects smashing their way into the store and making off.

“I would like to praise the bravery of those in the local community who intervened in dangerous circumstances.

"Likewise we are mindful of footage of the incident circulating on social media. If anyone has any footage that could benefit investigating officers, I would urge them to get in touch."

Enquiries continue.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0208 785 8655 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.