An armed man who was wandering the streets with a gun was shot dead by police at a petrol station.

The gunman, in his 40s, was killed by firearms officer at 4.45am on the forecourt of an Esso garage in Collier Row, Romford, east London.

Forensic teams were seen working at the scene of the shooting today following the incident, which is now being investigated by the police watchdog.

At around 2pm a body was carried away on a stretcher and into a waiting private ambulance.

Just an hour earlier police were sweeping a house roughly 50 yards from the shooting.

The incident comes amid a spate of shootings and stabbings that have rocked the capital in recent weeks, as police struggle to contain the surge in violence.

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This afternoon a body was removed from the petrol station forecourt on a stretcher

The body was then loaded into the back of a private ambulance at just after 2pm today

Two men in suits carried the body bag from the scene before it was driven away

In a statement, police said they were first called to a house at 3.50am to reports of a man claiming to be in possession of a weapon and 'making threats'

When they arrived at the house in Collier Row, the man had left, and was still armed, witnesses told police.

At 4.45am, just under an hour later, the man was then shot dead by officers at the Esso petrol station near Collier Row Road and Lodge Lane. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5.17am.

Residents near to the petrol station described hearing two shots during the tense stand-off.

Officers in blue overalls were at the scene of the shooting on the petrol station forecourt

One image posted on Twitter showed the petrol station concourse this morning where the man was shot dead

Officers erect a forensics tent at the Esso garage this morning

A female police officer collects evidence on the station forecourt (left) and another takes notes at the scene

Resident Tracy Green, 39, who lives near the garage, said: 'I heard the gun shots - it was at about 4.45am.

'I just heard 'bang bang' and thought that sounded like gun shots - it was really close to here so it woke me up.

'I woke up then I saw all of it taped off here.

'That's when I read about what happened.'

Darren Buckley, 50, added: 'I was here at 5am because I thought it was a crash.

Scotland Yard said they were called to Collier Row, Romford at 3.50am to reports of a man with a gun

Roads around the petrol station were cordoned off as forensic teams worked at the scene of the shooting

Forensic officers at the scene of the shooting this morning as the Metropolitan Police launched their investigation

The petrol station forecourt can be seen here taped off and under police guard

'I spoke to a copper but he was not giving anything away.

'There were armed response vehicles so it was obvious someone had been shot.

'There were four, they were in the garage and out here.

'It was all done, I was here about ten minutes after it happened so I didn't hear the shots.

'I just heard all the sirens. There was an ambulance parked here too.'

Forensic detectives could be seen sweeping the garage forecourt for clues this morning.

Meanwhile, a man was arrested near the petrol station today.

The cuffed man was dragged into the back of a police van just yards from the petrol station where the shooting happened. It is not known whether the arrest is linked to the probe.

The Metropolitan Police have now launched 56 murder investigations this year.

Figures revealed last week that London's murder rate had overtaken New York's for the first time ever.

At least 35 of those killed were stabbed to death in an epidemic of violent street crime which has led to a rise in the use of police stop and search powers.

A police cordon remains in place around the scene this morning

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has come under pressure to act and the Met Police chief Cressida Dick promised 'Al Capone' style tactics to crack down on the violence.

Earlier today a leaked Home Office paper revealed cuts to police numbers have 'likely contributed' to a rise in serious violent crime.

Police and crime figures in numbers 121,929 - The number of police officers in England and Wales as of September 30 last year, the lowest number since comparable records began more than two decades ago in 1996. 4.1% - The amount of police officers in the West Midlands fell by 4.1% between September 2016 and 2017. This is the force that saw the greatest fall. 43 - The number of police forces in England and Wales. 35 - The number of fatal stabbings that have occurred in London in 2018. 55 - Scotland Yard said it is currently investigating 55 suspected murders since the start of 2018, including the deaths of two children whose bodies were found in Sussex. 22 - The number of murder investigations launched by the Metropolitan Police in March this year, an all-time monthly high. Data shows two previous peaks in the past eight years - April 2010 when there were 16 murders, and June 2017 when there were 19. 6 - The number of suspected murders since the start of 2018 Scotland Yard is investigating in Hackney, more than in any other borough. 20,982 - The number of offences of possession of a knife or offensive weapon which led to a conviction or caution in England or Wales in 2017, the highest total for a calendar year since 2010. Advertisement

Road closures remain in place around the scene in Collier Row, and the Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed, the Met Police said in a statement.

A police spokesman added: 'At approximately 03:50hrs on Monday, 9 April police were called by a man making threats and claiming he was in possession of a firearm at an address in Collier Row.

'Firearms officers attended the location and were informed the man had left the address, armed with a firearm.

'At approximately 04:45hrs a man - believed to be aged in his 40s - was shot by police in the vicinity of Collier Row Road and Lodge Lane. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 05:17hrs.'

The incident has also been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

One onlooker wrote on Twitter: 'Body in concourse Collier Row petrol station.'

One resident said: 'We are waiting to hear what happened, it's at the top of my road and too close to home.'

Romford's Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell tweeted: 'Shocking incident in Collier Row today, just relieved that no member of the public has been harmed. Thank you to the Police for protecting our community.

'Crime in Havering is rising- Mayor Khan, you have a duty to allocate more resources to our borough!'

A spokesman for Independent Office for Police Conduct, said: 'We are investigating a fatal police shooting in Romford this morning.

'We were notified of the incident in Collier Row Road, Romford, by the MPS earlier this morning.

'We have deployed investigators to the scene and to police post-incident procedure to begin inquiries.'