Armed robbers have stolen jewellery reportedly worth millions of pounds from the Ritz hotel in Paris.

French police said five thieves, some of them armed, entered the luxury hotel and stole goods worth “an important sum”.

The French TV station BFM said that €4.7m (£4.16m) worth of jewels have been taken.

A police spokesman said three suspects were arrested but two escaped following the robbery at about 6.30pm on Wednesday. He said no one was injured.

According to Le Parisien, a patrolling police officer used a Taser to stop three of the robbers but the remaining two fled with the jewels.

Police would not confirm reports that the jewels were stolen from a hotel shop or that the robbers were armed with hatchets.