DETECTIVES were last night questioning two men after a fight which led to armed police swooping on a street in Southampton.

Officers surrounded a house in the early hours of yesterday after reports of two men fighting – one of them was brandishing a handgun.

One of the men tried to escape but was arrested by police a short distance away in Wyndham Place, close to Southampton Central train station.

Firearms teams surrounded a house in Argyle Road in the city centre when it became clear the gun had been passed to someone else.

Residents were woken by the row at about 3am, as officers arrested a man who was inside a shared property in the road.

No shots were fired and nobody was injured during the incident.

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Last night the gun at the centre of the drama had still not been recovered despite extensive police searches.

Extra patrols were put in place in the area as detectives investigating the incident reassured residents that this was an “isolated incident”.

One man, who lives in the area but who asked not to be identified, said: “There was a lot of activity, with lots of police who turned up armed with guns and with dogs. They surrounded a house and there was a lot of shouting. Then they brought someone out and he was taken away. It’s quite worrying when you hear of things like this happening where you live.”

Detectives at Bitterne CID are leading the investigation and confirmed they had arrested a 24-year-old man in Wyndham Place and a 19-year-old man in Argyle Road.

Detective Inspector Simon Baker said local people should not be alarmed and stressed it was not as a result of terrorist activity or serious organised crime.

He said: “This began as a fight in the Polygon between a couple of people known to each other. The weapon was mentioned to officers and naturally we take reports of this kind extremely seriously.

“The firearm is still outstanding but we have been carrying out thorough searches to try and recover it. We are aware that many people will have heard or seen police as they made an arrest at a property in Argyle Road. I’d like to reassure those people they have nothing to worry about. This was an isolated incident.”

Det Insp Baker urged witnesses or anyone with information to contact Bitterne CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.