A man led police on a chase across Sheppey after a woman was found with severe facial injuries this morning.

Officers were initially called to an address in Rushenden shortly after 9am, where they a found a woman in her 40s who was seriously hurt.

Police then pursued a suspect in a blue car heading towards Leysdown after the driver refused to stop.

Witnesses described seeing at least a dozen patrol cars going through Warden and Eastchurch.

The chase only came to an end when officers used a stinger to blow out its tyres in Lower Road, Minster.

A Facebook user who saw the events unfold described seeing three men dragged out of the car and handcuffed.

A police spokesman said: "The woman was taken to hospital. A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and remains in custody."

Ralph Wenden, who runs 4 Court Cars on the Lower Road at Brambledown, said: "I saw three or four police cars and a van with their sirens on and blue lights flashing rush past as if they were going to one of the prisons.

"Then about 10 minutes later two or three of them rushed back going even faster. But we get police cars with flashing lights going past us all day and every day. There always seems to be something kicking off at the prisons."