Armed police swooped on a street after gunshots were reported and teenagers in grey hoodies were spotted fleeing on bikes.

Police received reports of gunshots in Crouch Hill, at the junction with Sparsholt Road, at 1.30pm last Thursday (June 30) and sent armed officers and a firearms recovery dog to carry out a search of the area.

Nearby shop workers described hearing three shots and a resident saw three tracksuited teenagers escaping on bikes chasing another man on foot.

The resident, who lives in Sparsholt Street and did not want to be named, said: “There were three boys on bicycles riding in front of the car, they looked really young and one of them had a gun. I’m still not convinced it was real bullets. The gun just didn’t look real, it looked like a toy.

“Another guy looked like he was running with a sense of fear about him. The three boys on bikes were chasing the one who was running.”

She described the apparent weapon as a “a little silver pistol” and said it may have been a stun gun.

Others described hearing what sounded like shots from nearby shops.

A 39-year-old woman named Anna, who works at The Laundrette in Crouch Hill, said: “I didn’t hear proper shots but I heard a bang, I thought maybe one of the washing machines had a trainer stuck in it, but then after a few minutes I saw police coming.”

Jamie Englezos, an MOT tester at Holloway Service Station in Crouch Hill, added: “I didn’t realise it was gunshots immediately. I heard three bangs, but I thought it was from the workshop.”

Police found no trace of any victims, suspects, or evidence of shots being fired and called off the search at 3.15pm.

Stroud Green Road was closed southbound at the junction with Hanley Road and Crouch Hill Station was closed as a precaution.