A man who was tasered and arrested by police in connection with an attempted robbery at a travel agents in Newmarket is being questioned over two further similar offences in the town.

Armed officers were called to the Guineas Shopping Centre yesterday afternoon following reports that a man had entered Premier Travel at about 1.30pm – witnesses said a woman ran out of the premises and yelled “someone call the police”.

Fishmonger Trisha Birchman was working next door to the travel agents in Fish Burwell when the she heard the shouting.

She said: “I rang the police and so did another shop. They turned up in numbers and I got told to keep inside (the shop).

“It was very frightening and I am still shaken up now. It has shaken everyone up quite a bit. The poor girls next door though, I have no idea what it must have been like.”

Suffolk police said they arrested a man from Newmarket, aged 52, just before 2pm, after deploying armed police officers who fired two taser shots.

The suspect was later arrested on suspicion of two other robberies in the town – an armed robbery at Lloyds Bank in High Street just five days ago on November 12 and an attempted robbery at Betfred bookmakers in Valley Way on November 3.

Following the incident yesterday, shops, and other organisations in the centre closed for the day. They are expected to reopen this morning.

Carol Owen, who runs Mr Simms Ye Olde Sweetshop next to the travel agents, said she heard “popping sounds like gunshots” after the police entered the travel agents.

She said: “Everyone was completely horrified. It is dreadful, and following so quickly after the robbery at the bank. I am just shocked.”

The 52-year-old suspect has been taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

While armed officers descended on the Suffolk shopping centre, police in Cambridge were sent to headquarters of Premier Travel in the city. According to Cambridgeshire police they had received a 999 call from the travel agents headquarters, mistakenly believing the armed robbery was taking place there and not in Newmarket.