A man thought to be aged in his 40s has been shot dead by police in east London. 

Firearms officers were called to a location near Collier Row and Lodge Lane, Romford at 3.50am on Monday amid reports of a man making threats and claiming he was in possession of a weapon. 

The man was shot by police around an hour later and pronounced dead at the scene at 5.17am. 

Road closures remain in place around Collier Row Road and Lodge Lane. 

Forensics officers could be seen moving a tent into the Esso petrol station on Collier Row Road shortly before 11am.

Tracy Green, 39, who lives around 100 yards from the station, said she was woken up by two gunshots at around 4.45am 

She said: “I was just turning over and heard ‘bang, bang’ and thought ‘oh that sounded like gunshots’ It’s crazy really. It’s too close to home.”

Her neighbour Darren Buckley, 50, said he saw at least two ambulances and several police vehicles when he went outside.

He added: “I didn’t hear gunshots, but seeing all the vehicles I thought it was a car crash or something, seeing all the blue lights.

“I saw an ARV (armed response vehicle) race away as well.”

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 the police watchdog, the 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.”

The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. A mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.