A GUN was found during a tea-time raid by police at a house in Stoneclough.

Officers swooped on the property in Riverside Drive at 4.45pm on Wednesday.

The property, at the end of a block of five homes which overlooks the river, was cordoned off. The front garden was sealed off with blue police tape. At the rear there were two white vans parked on a enclosed driveway. Police and crime scene investigators were still at the house yesterday afternoon and the track at the back of the house was still taped off.

Neighbours, who had not been told what was happening, speculated that it was something serious given the number of police officers and the length of time they were at the house.

It is understood that three men, aged in their late teens or early 20s, had been living at the house, but had only been there a few weeks.

One neighbour said: “I have lived here for 38 years and I have never known anything like this.

“This is such a quiet street. I have heard all sorts of rumours but the police won’t tell us what has happened. It must be serious though because they were here all night.

”The people who live there have only been here a few weeks. There were a lot of people coming and going to the house, especially at night.”

Police carried out house to house inquiries on Wednesday night, but told neighbours little about what was going on.

One said: “The police told us there are undesirable people living there, but it looks like it might be something more serious than that.”

The police refused to confirm any details but it is understood that a firearm was removed from the property..

A spokesman said: “Police are currently searching a property on Riverside Drive, Bolton, as part of an ongoing investigation. Further details will be provided at a later stage.”