TWO MEN have been arrested after police were called to a fight involving weapons in the Preston area of Weymouth.

Witnesses in the area at the time of the arrests claim officers were looking for a man with a machete.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said they were alerted by a member of the public at around 9.40pm on Friday night to an incident in the area of Preston Road and Bowleaze Coveway, near to the Oasis Cafe.

The spokesman said: “This incident is reported as a fight involving weapons.”

She added that police were not specifying at this stage exactly what weapons were involved.

Two men were arrested and taken into custody and are currently assisting police with their enquiries.

Both had been taken to Dorset County Hospital for precautionary checks but no serious injuries were reported.

A resident, who lives near the scene of the arrests, said she did not see the incident at the time and she only knew that something was going on when police knocked on her door and asked for some water and bleach to clean blood off the floor.

Aaron Needham, from Weymouth, was in the area with friends at the time of the incident when he saw two police cars, one of which he believed was an armed response unit.

He said: “When we got to Preston Beach Road there was already one person being arrested and searched.”

Mr Needham said they were later approached by an officer near to the Spyglass Inn asking if they had seen someone in a red coat who had a machete.

He added: “Walking back to the car there was someone being treated in the ambulance but I couldn’t tell if it was the same person that was arrested when we got there.”

Staff at the Spyglass Inn said that all they were told was that someone had been assaulted with a knife and police had apprehended someone.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Councillor for Preston Ian Bruce said he had not heard anything about the incident but said it was very unusual for what was normally a safe area and welcomed news that the police had made arrests.

He said: “I’m glad the police are, as always, doing their job very well and will ensure that Preston remains the safest place in Britain to be.”

Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident are asked to call Dorset Police on 101, quoting incident number 3:420.