I was sat in the living room of an Albert Grove house when blue flashing lights passed outside. Looking out the window I saw the driver of the Volvo police car step out and then reach back into the car for a large gun, of the type often seen being carried by police in Nottingham.

I went out onto the street to look closer and soon after heard from the people I was with of our housemate who was the other side of the police cordon. We watched as a number of other police turned up, perhaps 6-8 in total, all similarly armed. They were predominantly stood guarding a house near where Albert Grove meets Derby Road.

As we watched we were able to make contact with our housemate who was in a different house up the road, with one of the people who had been in the house when the incident had happened.

10 minutes later we met up with our housemate again and heard the story that as someone had returned to the house they had been followed into the house by a group of people who then threatened the occupants with knives, reportedly holding them to throats.

After searching the house for items to take, the group apparently demanded to be let out the back door, where they made their escape over what was described as a very high wall.

When we sat down to tea and guitar the police were still armed on the street outside. I took up some scones and a spanish omlette to the house where our housemate had been hanging out, left over from the cafe I was working at today and now we move on to an evening of US election watching.