Police in riot gear swooped on a St Albans pub following reports of a man carrying a samurai sword.

Officers were first alerted to reports of an altercation in Spencer Street at around 5.48pm on Saturday.

A man was allegedly carrying a samurai sword and banging on the door of a property.

He was reportedly seen a short time after in the street with a baseball bat.

An unknown substance, believed to be boiling water, was thrown at the male along with another victim, a woman, who was subsequently taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from burns to her arm.

The sword was located by officers and the man was arrested in The Peahen public house shortly after 6pm, after allegedly attempting to dispose of the baseball bat.

He was taken to hospital with burns to the chest, face and neck area.

The incident followed an alleged disagreement between the suspect and a man known to the female victim earlier on the same day.

The man was reportedly assaulted by the suspect, sustaining a split lip and bruising to the forehead.

A 36-year-old man from St Albans was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, using violence to secure entry and criminal damage. He was released on conditional bail until March 12 while enquiries continue.