Police swooped on three Oxford addresses during early morning raids to clamp down on firearms and illegal immigrants.

More than 50 officers from the tactical firearms unit, dogs teams, and the economic crime unit raided two houses in Headington and a city centre bar at 6am yesterday.

Six people were arrested following the raids.

Officers taking part in Operation Borodin searched the two houses, in Grays Road and Benson Road, Headington, and the Atlantic Bar in Park End Street.

A man aged 24 was arrested at Grays Road on suspicion of possessing a firearm and money laundering.

Officers arrested five men at Benson Road on suspicion of immigration offences. Four were released without charge and a fifth, who is 26, is still being questioned on suspicion of theft.

Neighbours, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, said they had complained about all-night parties at the Grays Road house.

A woman said: "People think it is a bunch of east European guys who live there and it's their parents who own it.

"A complaint has been made to environmental health about them. They have been causing a problem for years, playing really loud music at 3am."

A man who lives in Grays Road, said: "I was woken up by music at 7am one Saturday morning. They were having a big disco up there.

"I called the police because I couldn't get the council to come out, and they said there was nothing they could do."

At the house in Benson Road, one neighbour said: "I speak to the lads who live there and they seem nice."

Another said: "An English guy lived there and he sold it to a Russian lady at least five years ago. She died and left it to her son and since then there has been a drifting population of eastern European workers who don't speak very good English living there.

"They have been raided once before, by Customs and Excise."

Dc Richard Jones, of Oxford CID, said: "The offences we are investigating, particularly those involving firearms, are serious and this will be an in-depth inquiry."