Two suspected moped-riding thieves had a midnight stand-off with police as they climbed onto the roof of a Plumstead house and refused to move for almost three hours.

Helicopters flew overhead and fire engines parked outside several hours after midnight as police reportedly tried to convince the pair off the roof.

The night began with police receiving a call from two teens who reported they had been the victim of an attempted robbery in Plumstead.

An 18-year-old man told police that just after 10pm yesterday he and a 15-year-girl had been approached in Kirk Lane by four men on two mopeds, each containing a rider and passenger.

The moped-riding men reportedly demanded the victims hand over their mobile phones and when they didn’t, searched his pockets.

One of the suspects then allegedly punched the 15-year-old girl in the face.

It is reported the two victims escaped and ran away, only to be chased by the moped riders for a while until they gave up and drove away on their mopeds.

Police were able to use CCTV to find two mopeds with two people on each of them at Wickham Lane.

Officers and police helicopters mobilised, forcing the suspects to abandon their mopeds and two people clambered onto the roof of a nearby property.

It began the almost three hour standoff as the people of Plumstead and nearby towns were kept awake as helicopters flew overhead all night.

Martin on Twitter wrote: “They were over Sidcup and St.Mary’s Cray for over an hour last night, keeping everyone awake.”

A Facebook poster on the group Plumstead People wrote: “They keep going right over me and are so low at that point, that they're making my windows rattle! And I might as well be sitting in the copter myself it's so fecking loud!”

Another user wrote: “Someone get a big stick and knock them off already, I want to sleep.”

By 3.17am two men, a 17-year-old and a 20-year-old, were finally convinced to come down where they were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.

Enquiries continue to establish if there is a link between the attempted robbery and the incident at Wickham Lane