MYSTERY continues to surround a house in Bishop's Waltham that has become the centre of a major police inquiry.

Officers have been at the property in Hoe Road since Monday conducting a thorough search of the semi-detached home.

They have been focusing on the conservatory at the back of the property, where they were seen yesterday dressed in white forensic suits.

They have also dug up patches of the garden and used sonar equipment, raising speculation, they could be hunting for human remains. Sheds and out buildings have also been searched and in some cases dismantled.

Forensic officers who spent yesterday at the property removed a number of items for further examination. These included several rolled-up carpets, three mattresses, various boxes of files and three interior doors.

They also removed a number of items in a sealed bag.

Neighbours have reported hearing banging coming from the property. Liam Hayley, 17, said: "I have heard them banging around inside. It looks like they are trying to take some of the conservatory apart."

However, the police are remaining tight-lipped about the reasons for the inquiry that began at the start of the week at the house, owned by notorious drug-smuggler John Howett. Howett is currently serving 12 years in Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight for his part in a drugs smuggling ring that flooded the UK with cannabis from the continent.

His wife Tracey was still living at the Hoe Road address with a lodger but has been moved out to a hotel believed to be in the Portsmouth area while officers continue to search the house.

Police have confirmed that a search warrant was executed as part of a continuing inquiry following an "intelligence" tip-off. It is believed the house could be "a historical crime scene".