ARMED police descended on Banbury last night after a report of a man carrying a gun.

Thames Valley Police officers in the town tweeted shortly after midnight stating that they had assisted the armed police unit 'following a report of a male with a firearm in Banbury.'

They said enquiries were 'ongoing' but stressed that 'rumours circulating on social media that a male has been shot are not true.'

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Many residents on Facebook reported hearing the police helicopter above the Hardwick and Ruscote areas, with several saying armed officers were stationed outside the shops in Longelandes Way. 

One woman, posting on a public residents' page, said: "It was in the park, a man pulled a gun out."

She added that there was a 'big fight.'

A spokesman for the police force said officers were called to Ruscote Avenue at 7.45pm yesterday, after a report that a man had a firearm.

He added: "Searches were conducted at the scene but no man was located with a firearm."

He reiterated the message that rumours about someone being shot were wrong.