FOUR men were arrested under the anti-terrorism Act after police swooped on a residential street in Southampton early today.

Officers from Hampshire police's force support unit descended on a semi-detached property in Kenilworth Road, Polygon, just after 7.30am.

Police said four men had been arrested at the address and were today awaiting questioning at police stations in Hampshire.

Hampshire police spokesman Susan Rolling said: "At 7.30am today officers from the force support unit gained entry to an address to execute a search warrant. Four men were detained."

Further details of the operation remained unclear but Hampshire police confirmed the warrants had been executed under anti-terrorist legislation.

The arrests were carried out by specialist riot-trained officers from Hampshire police's force support unit based at Netley, working with a team of detectives.

Today shocked residents described how they had woken to find their street swarming with police officers.

Student Daniel Ronani, 20, who lives next door to the house at the centre of the police activity, said he had been woken around 8am.

He said: "I had just come out to move my car and saw someone in a red car.

"He was kitted up with a battering ram. I have got no idea what it was about. We didn't really have much to do with the neighbours - we don't really know them at all."

Meanwhile Pat Othen, also of Kenilworth Road, said police had asked if they could use her house as a surveillance area some months before.

She added: "All I saw was loads and loads of police pulling up and coming away.

"There were lots of plain clothes officers in the garden. Two men were taken away as far as I could see."

Polygon Residents' Action Group chairman Lorraine Barter, of nearby Harborough Road, said: "I saw a group of people in the garden including a plain clothes officer.

"Then the police van rolled up and out of the police van was an officer dressed in black. Another police van drew up and I saw two officers dressed in black."

She said there had been rumours that police were taking action in the area against drug dealing.

After the raid, two marked police cars remained in the road while a lone officer stayed at the front door.