A Sussex man has denied firearms offences following a dramatic arrest by armed anti-gang police.

Shots were fired as officers swooped on a suspect during rush hour on the A27 near Lewes in November last year.

Witnesses reported seeing officers in unmarked cars ram a Mercedes.

Plastic Hatton rounds were used to incapacitate the car in the Metropolitan Police-led operation.

Noah Ripley, 25, Hailsham, was charged with possession of a firearm, and two counts of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to enable another to endanger life.

He appeared at Croydon Crown Court today and denied the counts.

His fellow defendants, Luke Kelly, 19, of Catford, and Tyrone Salih, 24, of Orpington, denied the same charges.

The arrest caused disruption to one of the country’s busiest roads, with one lane of the eastbound carriageway closed during rush hour.

Armed officers fired plastic Hatton rounds at the tyres of the vehicle to incapacitate it.

Hatton rounds are a shotgun shell for breaching doors and usually fired at a range of 15cm or less.

Pictures show a man with his hands up and witnesses said he was led away in handcuffs at the Kingston roundabout, near Lewes.

A firearm was recovered from the vehicle, a Met Police spokeswoman said.

The trio are set to appear for trial at Croydon Crown Court in the week beginning March 3.