ARMED police raided a house in Bournemouth after a man was spotted brandishing a gun.

Dorset Police said officers attended an address at St Swithun’s Road at 2.40am this morning in response to a report that a man was holding a firearm.

The front door of the house remained boarded up.

Robert Deane, a volunteer at nearby Hope Housing, said he saw the armed response unit outside before watching officers lead a male away from the property, which is located close to St Swithun’s Roundabout.

“The police asked me to keep the residents inside the house and I saw them take a male out to the car with a coat over him,” he added.

“The police took dogs into the house with them.

“They were there all night and there were still two officers standing guard outside the house until around 11am.”

Mr Deane said there are a number of houses dedicated to rehabilitating alcoholics in that part of the road and police are frequently called to the area.

He added: “There are a lot of people with a lot of issues around here.”

Ward councillor David Kelsey praised the police for its response to the incident.

He said: “I am shocked. I am glad nobody was hurt and that the police reacted so effectively.”

A Dorset police spokesperson said a teenage boy from Bournemouth and a 20-year-old man of no fixed abode had been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences and were currently helping police with their inquiries.