A group of toddlers were left terrified when riot police raided a street as a three-year-old was holding his birthday party.
Ethan Baker had enjoyed a friendly pinata game with his friends in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, when the street was flooded with officers warning them to get inside.
Neighbours claimed six police cars and seven riot vans descended on the scene of the party within minutes - with a police helicopter circling overhead.
Anger: Martinique Molesworth, 21, with her son Ethan who had his third birthday party interruped by a riot police raid. Also pictured here is Martinique's niece Gypsy
As worried parents ushered their crying children inside, police said they had traced a car connected with an incident in a separate area to the street.
Families were holed up in their homes for an hour while officers searched the car before they gave the all clear and said they had not found anything suspicious.
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Ethan's mother, Martinique Molesworth, 21, said: 'They destroyed my son's birthday party. It was completely over the top - from what we could see, no one was doing anything wrong.
Swoop: Riot police descended on this street in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, during a three-year-old boy's birthday party
Anger: Martinique, centre, said ''It was frightening. Ethan burst into tears'
'We were just having a nice kiddies party with music and games. The kids saw the entire incident and it ruined the day for everyone.
'It was frightening. Ethan burst into tears. They were terrified. We will never get to celebrate Ethan's third birthday again.'
Ethan's aunt, shocked Shelly Hughs, said: 'They thought someone had a gun. The only weapons that were used in this street as far as we know were piqata sticks!
'We were saying goodbye to one of my sisters when the police came over and told us to get inside the house.
'They wanted to speak to all the men and to know where they had been and what they were doing. The poor kids were shocked.'
Guests had been enjoying the childrens' party at Ethan's grandmother's house for two hours before the police came.
Humberside Police have declined to reveal what the original incident was about.
However, they confirmed that armed officers went to Eleanor Street and that it did not involve anyone from the party.
A spokesperson for the force said: 'We were called to Eleanor Street at 3.07pm after tracing a car there following an incident in Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes.
'A search was made of the vehicle by specially-trained police officers and nothing suspicious was located.'