There were dramatic scenes today in a bustling pre-Christmas Frome as the  police and the fire service were involved in a frantic search for a wanted man.

Eyewitnesses spoke of a "film-like" scene as the combined forces tracked the man, believed to be Frome's James Tallon.

Police had released his photo to the media earlier this week and asked for the public's help in finding his whereabouts as he is wanted in connection with a local burglary. He was spotted in the centre of Frome, but according to eyewitnesses he managed to escape.

In a Nub News exclusive an eyewitness told of the moments, around half past one today, when the police swooped on the well-known central location, the Cheese & Grain.

The witness said: " We were first aware of the police helicopter and then suddenly loads of police officers surrounded the Cheese & Grain. It was unbelievable how fast they moved in, and then they were everywhere. The police had apparently pinned him behind the building but then clearly something happened, because then they were all over the bridge leading into the precinct.  Then they were beside the river itself, and the news seemed to be that he had escaped into a drain, there were sniffer dogs and lots of helicopter activity and the next thing was that the fire service sent officers down into the drains to try and find him. The whole sequence was unreal."

The police media team cannot currently be contacted for further details or to discover whether the wanted man is still at large.