Youngsters armed with machetes brought traffic to a standstill in the Holloway Road at rush hour on Friday evening.

Witnesses saw at least two people wielding knives as they chased a boy in what was a suspected gang fight.

Police were called at 6.25pm to the scene, near the entrance of the Nag's Head Shopping Centre, but all involved had cycled or ran off.

One terrified witness told the Gazette: "There were youths there on bikes and then suddenly more turned up. They dropped the bikes in the road and one boy threw a wooden crate at another. They stopped all the traffic.

"Another boy was chasing them - I thought he had a stick but it was a machete.

"He was chasing another boy on his bike - he had his face covered. He jumped off the bike and ran off. Then another boy with another knife turned up.

"One of them was just blatantly holding a knife without his face covered.

"One boy was hiding in a shop and stopping them trying to get in. And then they all just disappeared, it happened really quickly."

Scotland Yard said police found no signs of anyone injured. No arrests have been made.