The first that Todd knew of the armed police raids in south London before dawn in which nine people were arrested under the Terrorism Act was the barking of police dogs being unloaded from a van outside his front door.

He thought it was his imagination and went back to sleep. Minutes later, he was woken again by a loud splintering noise as his back garden fence was broken down. It was 4.30am.

He went out to investigate and in the dark he saw figures bursting out of the back door of the terraced house diagonally opposite.

"There was a big fight or a scuffle, crashing and banging, and shouting," said Todd, 38, a cheesemaker, whose flat in Gilbey Road, Tooting, backs on to the rear of the terraced house in Garratt Terrace where six arrests were made.

"I was scared. I suppose it was the police fighting with the people in the house to try to stop them escaping. All I could see was figures crashing around. They broke through my fence and the fence of the next door neighbour."

Todd went back indoors to look after his 18-month old daughter Teddy, who was crying. Meanwhile Ben Astbury, 25, self-employed, whose flat on Garratt Lane backs on to the front door of Garratt Terrace, had also been woken by the noise and was watching the raid through his bedroom window.

"There were 12 armed police and a number of dog-handlers outside the front door. They were shining a light through the letter box," said Mr Astbury.

"They were shouting: 'Armed police! Come out! The occupants of 5 Garratt Terrace, come out! Let's see your hands! If you don't come out we are going to have to send the dogs in!' I think they saw me and my girlfriend looking out of the window but they didn't say anything, so I realised there wasn't a bomb threat."

The police went into the property and brought out six people. Mr Astbury said he didn't hear any firing, though he heard one noise that sounded like a pop.

"The first guy who came out was wearing white robes," he said. "I was sure that I saw a young blonde woman. They looked like they were giving themselves up voluntarily. They marched them away down the road, away from the High Street"

Later, workers at a nearby taxi company described how the raided house had been occupied for the last year by a string of Pakistani men.

Subash Patel, a taxi driver who often parks his car in Garratt Terrace as it is opposite the 24 hour office of Airport Car Hire, said: "There were always lots of people coming and going. Apparently there was about 15 people living there. You would see them sitting outside on the wall when it was fine weather. Sometimes they came out traditional dress, when they had been praying. We saw them out there about a week ago."

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