CUSTOMERS at an Ipswich restaurant looked on in horror as a man carrying a long knife dashed by their table.The scene in the small restaurant could have been so much worse if the man had not been bustled out of the boat it is based in and had started to wield his weapon.

CUSTOMERS at an Ipswich restaurant looked on in horror as a man carrying a long knife dashed by their table.

The scene in the small restaurant could have been so much worse if the man had not been bustled out of the boat it is based in and had started to wield his weapon.

Three men have now been arrested in connection with the incident which took place at Il Punto restaurant on Ipswich docks.

Jane Hosking from Tuddenham, near Ipswich had been at a family dinner, celebrating a birthday when the drama began.

She said: "If he had started wielding that thing it could have been horrific - a huge knife being wielded around a packed restaurant."

The incident happend when the family were about to order their food.

Ms Hosking said: "We were in the middle of having our order taken when suddenly the waitress disappeared.

"This man came rushing by with what we thought to start with was an umbrella.

"He was sweating profusely - everyone in the restaurant went completely silent."

She said that restaurant staff had handled the incident, which happened at around 9pm last Saturday, very well.

Ms Hosking said: "I said to the waitress that she seemed very calm but she said she was shaking inside.

"I was not scared - there just was not enough time to be scared.

"It all happened so quickly it was quite surreal."

She said that as the man rushed through the chef came out of the kitchen to chase after him.

The man was got outside quickly and the police arrived on the scene immediately and the three men were arrested.

No-one from the restaurant wanted to comment on the incident.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police confirmed that they had been called to a disturbance on Neptune Quay at around 8.40pm on Saturday.

A 25-year-old Ipswich man was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and has been bailed to return to Ipswich police station on December 2.

A 24 -year-old man and a 33-year-old man, both from Ipswich were arrested for possession of a Class B drug.