A MAJOR manhunt was launched after reports of a man seen wondering the streets of Southampton wielding a knife.

Sniffer dogs, air support, officers on the ground and even armed unite were all despatched to Butts Road, in Sholing, as the search swiftly got underway.

Worried residents were warned not to approach the man if they spotted him and were warned to stay inside their homes as units scoured the local play parks and woodlands.

The drama kicked off just before 11.30pm on Sunday night, when police received a call from a member of the public, claiming they had seen a male walking along Butts Road, carrying a knife.

The man was described as being tall, skinny and white, wearing a dark tracksuit top, grey bottoms and a white cap.

A tweet from Bitterne Police read “HantspolDogs and armed support in area. Air support on way. Please stay inside and await further updates.”

But after an extensive search for more than an hour, the manhunt was called off as the dogs failed to pick up any scent and no evidence of the knife-wielding man was found.

A further tweet from the station in Bitterne said: “Incident resolved, officers staying in are for high visibility. Thank you to everyone that helped.”