Clayhall residents were told to stay in their homes after four men armed with “crowbars and a bottle of acid were on the loose”.

The suspects attempted to break into a house in Rushden Gardens today (Saturday, December 8) but when they were spotted by neighbours and the police were called, they ran away on foot.

One witness said officers reacted quickly and swarmed the area shouting at residents to lock their doors.

“Police came out of nowhere and the whole area was lit up with blue lights,” he said.

“They shouted at me to get inside my house and lock my door – unless I wanted to be bitten by police dogs who were about to search the area.”

Another resident said the men ran through resident’s gardens and the police acted really bravely.

“You have got to hand it to the police,” he said.

“They were looking for someone who could throw acid at them and all they had were batons.

“It was frightening at first as the boys in blue were running around all over the place and were clearly anxious – it made you realise that whatever was going on was a real threat.

“They brought a helicopter out to search for them and one officer told me they were using thermal imaging to try and track them.”

A Met Police spokesman confirmed that police were called to Rushden Gardens at 7.49pm to reports of a group of me attempting to force entry into a house.

“Following an area search by police, two males were detained and taken to an east London police station for questioning,” he said.

“Efforts to trace the other suspects continue.

“One of the males arrested had a sports bottle which he claimed contained a noxious substance.”

If you have any information about the incident or CCTV which captures the suspects in neighbouring roads, contact the police on 101.