POLICE are due to return to a Southampton neighbourhood today which is at the centre of a police investigation into stolen property.

Armed officers, sniffer dogs and forensics teams swooped on the terraced property yesterday as part of a major search operation.

Residents spoke of their shock when armed police swarmed into their community.

A little girl who had been playing outside and a woman who had opened her door to see what was going on were told to go inside their homes.

Officers also cordoned off and searched a wooded area behind the homes, and forensics teams were seen leaving with bags of evidence.

A cordon remained in place overnight before search teams returned this morning.

Officers burst through garden fences to access the property from all directions.

They raided the home and its bin shed, loading their vans with bags full of evidence.

It is understood that an ambulance was also at the scene to attend to a woman who was having a panic attack.

It is understood that the house, which is part of a development built two years ago opposite Antelope Park, is rented by a family with two teenage sons and two younger children.

When residents arrived home at 4pm police were stopping people from entering or leaving the block.

Joe Ellis, 39, a council groundsman and dad-of-one, said: “At first they wouldn’t let me in to the close. I didn’t know what was going on.

“I asked why there were armed police and they said they were here just to contain it in case something kicked off.

“There wouldn’t be armed police if it wasn’t serious, so we have the right to know what’s going on. Just a bit of information would be nice.”

Tamisha Raquet, 10, was playing outside when armed officers told her to go indoors.

The schoolgirl said: “I was outside playing and then police with big guns came and said ‘get in your house’. It was really scary.”

Her mum, Tanya, 34, who has three other children, said: “It makes me feel a bit uneasy just not knowing what’s going on, especially as there’s a lot of people around here who have children.”

A mum-of-three who lives nearby said: “It's quite shocking because there are lots of children in the area and we don’t know what’s in that house. The police said they were looking for stolen goods but why would they need armed police for that? It was like something from out of the movies.”

A police spokesman said: “Officers executed a search warrant at an address on Bursledon Road in Southampton on the afternoon of Thursday, November 20, as part of an investigation into stolen property. The search is still ongoing as it has been extended to include the immediate area around the property, including a wooded area adjoining it.

“No arrests have been made.”