ARMED police raided a house after receiving reports of a firearm.

The force helicopter was overhead as officers arrived at the shared house in Poole and rammed their way inside.

Several men were searched as neighbours gathered outside in Crest Road, Parkstone, at midday on Saturday and two men were taken to hospital, one of them on a stretcher.

One neighbour, who saw four people led outside, said her family were warned to stay inside and away from the window in case there was a gun.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said: “My husband opened the window and one of the officers shouted ‘Get down’.

“The police were told there was a gun.

“There was a lot of noise and shouting there last night and we won’t ignore anything going on there now.”

A Dorset Police spokesman said no gun was found and no arrests were made, with the men’s ill health not believed to have been caused by any weapons.

Andrew Daly, 50, was in his room on the top floor of the house involved when the police turned up and the injured men were taken away from a room below.

He was shocked to be searched by police.

“I heard a commotion and thought someone was fighting down stairs,” he said.

“I went downstairs and the next thing I was outside and the police were searching all the rooms.”

Another resident was given a ticket by police to show the reasons for him being searched.

It read that there was “a report of someone being threatened with a firearm”.

One of the injured men taken away was believed to be aged 26.