Five men have been arrested after a cache of firearms and a “zombie knife” were recovered when armed police swooped on a car in Willesden on Thursday morning.

Firearms officers stopped the vehicle in the High Road at 9.50am.

A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Armed police officers, acting on intelligence, stopped a vehicle in High Road, Willesden, NW10.

“Officers discovered firearms, ammunition, and a zombie knife in the vehicle. Five men, no further details, were arrested on suspicion of possession of firearms.”

The five men, who were taken to a north-west london police station, remain in custody.

A “zombie knife” is a kind of blade, usually with a serrated edge, often emblazoned with iconography suggesting it can be used for extreme violence.