Police swoop after burglary fears

ARMED police sealed off a leafy Felixstowe street after reports of an armed burglar searching a house.Officers brought in sniffer dogs and the force helicopter hovered overhead to deal with the incident in Fleetwood Road.

ARMED police sealed off a leafy Felixstowe street after reports of an armed burglar searching a house.

Officers brought in sniffer dogs and the force helicopter hovered overhead to deal with the incident in Fleetwood Road.

The quiet road near the football club's Dellwood Road ground was the centre of a drama for nearly three quarters of an hour - the second time armed police have been called out in east Suffolk in two days.

However, officers who attended were able to make a search of the house and found no-one present.

There was no sign of anyone having entered and it was described as a false alarm. It is understood the elderly house owner was confused.

A police spokeswoman said officers were called about 3.55pm yesterday after a woman rang to say her neighbour, a man in his 80s who has a carer, had called on her to say there was a burglar in his home.

He told the woman the man had a weapon and she called the police.

It is understood that police have been called to other incidents at the house in the past - but because the man had reported seeing what he believed was an armed burglar they had to respond in such a way.

During the incident, streets in the area were sealed off, but all roads were open again by 4.30pm.