Portsmouth residents admit 'it looks bad' after forensics tent set up near city centre

The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday morning on Old Commercial Road close to the city centre. Police have been searching the area for clues with officers guarding the crime scene.

A white forensic tent, typically used by officers investigating a death, has also been put up.

A crime scene blocking off Old Commercial Road and the end of Victoria Street was in place this morning.

An officer was also seen guarding a pathway around the back of properties on Victoria Street where a bedraggled item of clothing was spotted on the ground.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said police were ‘attending a serious incident’ but, contrary to reports, it was not a stabbing.

Meanwhile residents, who are being told to ‘log-in and log-out’ to enter their homes within the crime scene, said they feared the worst.

One local said: ‘When I came home just before midnight there was no police here but when I woke up this morning they were everywhere.

‘The whole area is cordoned off and we’ve been told we have to log-in and log-out to get to our homes. It looks bad especially with the forensics tent there.’

A man who lives nearby said: ‘Police haven’t told us anything apart from to say it was a “serious incident”.’