Police were called to Putney in the early hours of Thursday morning (May 29) after residents reported hearing what sounded like gunfire near Hayward Gardens.
Multiple loud bangs were heard shortly before 3am, prompting a large-scale police response that included ground searches and a helicopter circling above the area for over an hour.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they were alerted at 2:52am following calls from residents reporting “gunshots being heard” near Hayward Gardens—a group of residential flats opposite Putney Heath in West Putney.
Officers searched the surrounding area on foot while a police helicopter hovered above the area. In what may point to some kind of confrontation on foot or by car, Roehampton Lane—one of the main routes through Putney and Roehampton but some distance from Hayward Gardens—was partially taped off into the late morning, finally reopening just before noon.
No guns or evidence found
Despite the scale of the operation, police say no evidence of a firearm discharge was found.
“Police were called at 02:52hrs on Thursday, 29 May to reports of gunshots being heard near Hayward Gardens, Putney. Officers carried out a search of the area. No victims or evidence of a firearm discharge was found. No arrests have been made,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
There were no injuries reported, and no arrests have taken place. Officers have not yet confirmed the cause of the noise, and no further details have been released.
The incident caused concern among residents, many of whom were woken by the loud bangs and the sound of helicopters overhead. While some speculated about potential training exercises or other sources of loud noise, no official explanation has yet been provided.
The area around Hayward Gardens and Roehampton Lane is a mix of housing estates and key infrastructure, including Queen Mary’s Hospital and the University of Roehampton. The proximity to major roads and open spaces has occasionally drawn police activity in the past, but incidents of suspected gunfire are rare in this part of Wandsworth.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police via 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
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