A 25-year-old man from Erith has been charged with robbery after a cash box was taken from a security guard at Natwest in Northumberland Heath.

Aaron Phillips, of Austen Road, was charged just hours after the incident on Thursday after being arrested at his home.

Witnesses said a G4S van arrived at the bank in Bexley Road at around 9.10am and that an employee had the case of money snatched away.

The bank was closed for nearly three-and-a-half hours after the robbery, opening again at 12.30pm.

Phillips was arrested in Austen Road at around 12.45pm and witnesses have described forensics experts being at the scene.

Not long after the robbery an ambulance travelling to an unrelated incident struggled to get down Bexley Road as it was blocked by police cars, the G4S van, a bus and a Tesco delivery van.

A Bexley Police spokesman added: "A cash in transit security guard was robbed of a quantity of cash.

"No weapons were seen or used. The cash box has been recovered."

Phillips will appear at the Old Bailey on April 22.

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