Police swoop on city house in secret op

The house on Cliffe Field Road, Meersbrook, was raided by as many as 16 police, as worried neighbours looked on.

The house is occupied by a family, believed to be a mother, two grown-up sons and a daughter.

Neighbours say one of the men from the house left around three years ago and recently moved back in.

Today local residents demanded police explain the reasons for the raid.

Eye-witnesses said a number of people in the house were taken away in patrol cars while a full search of the property was carried out and, when one of the men who lives there pulled up in his car, he was also taken away.

Neighbours suspect police may have had the house under surveillance for some time, claiming men who had apparently been "working in the street" before the raid ran over to the property when police arrived.

Residents also claim police were at the property for around 24 hours. When neighbours asked officers about the raid they were told it was a "national operation" and police were "gathering evidence".

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman told The Star: "We are not prepared to discuss this."

The family - who said they are currently fasting for Ramadan - also declined to comment when approached by The Star.

One family member, a man in his 20s, said: "We don't want to get involved."

One resident, who does not want to be named, said: "The community is very worried about this - the police owe us an explanation because by keeping quiet they are making the situation worse. There is a lot of speculation.

"I am concerned for the safety of this family. Because the police won't say what the nature of the search was, this family may be at risk because people are jumping to conclusions and they may be totally wrong."