POLICE were called to reports of suspected gunshots from bushes in Poole in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Officers closed the A350 Holes Bay dual carriageway after several residents reported what sounded like gunshots from the bushes around Sterte Esplanade around midnight.
Armed police, the dog unit and police helicopter were sent to the scene and the dog unit discovered a number of people hidden in the bushes.
One local resident reported seeing one of the dogs “going mad” and then five or six people emerging from the bushes.
The resident said the gunshots were later attributed to firecrackers.
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said they were called at 11.59pm on Monday evening to Sterte Close.
The incident was a false alarm and turned out to be a group of youngsters with "flash bangs", she said.
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