Armed police swooped on a house while children were sleeping inside in a hunt for one of Kent's most wanted criminals, it has emerged.

Officers surrounded a property in Rushenden Road, Rushenden, at 8pm on Sunday in a search for Luke Cassidy.

Police say they were acting on information they had received and the safety of the public and their officers is "paramount".

Cassidy - 27 and from Dover - is wanted for recall to prison after being jailed in 2009 for attacking a teenager with a bread knife in the town.

Shelley Norton, whose heavily-pregnant daughter Bonnie lives in the house, has spoken about how her family including three young children were ordered out of the terraced property at gunpoint and had to stand in the street in their nightclothes for almost an hour.

Cassidy is Bonnie's former partner and father of one of her children.

But the family said they have not heard from him since last month and slammed the police for not just asking them if they knew his whereabouts instead of carrying out an armed raid.

Residents in the area were told to stay indoors after police arrived and witnesses said there were at least 15 who were "heavily" armed.

However, police defended the response - saying it is standard procedure to ensure everyone's safety.

Mrs Norton, 44, said: "They said, 'Armed police – come out, put your arms up'.

"I had my pyjamas on with nothing on my feet and they said, 'Get out here'."

Mrs Norton told the police she would not come out while her three grandchildren were inside, worried they would storm the house and the youngsters would wake up and be faced with guns.

She went back inside and got the three children out of bed, grabbed shoes and coats for them, and got everyone outside.

Mrs Norton said police refused to let them back in to get nappies for 21-year-old Bonnie's youngest child, who has a heart condition, and they had to rely on a neighbour bringing out fresh ones for them.

Around 45 minutes later, they were allowed back in the house after it had been searched.

Mrs Norton said when she went to her home in Nelson Avenue, Minster, police followed her and then searched there and her car.

"They wouldn't tell us who they were looking for," she said. "Just that they were looking for two people.

"I'm so angry – there was no consideration for the kids. It's a joke.

"My daughter was absolutely petrified and the children didn't know what was going on."

Mrs Norton is angry officers would not tell them anything as she said it was impossible to see if they could help their inquiries.

Although she says she knew Cassidy is wanted for recall, she did not think it was about that as she did not think it would warrant such a response.

In the past, she says officers have just knocked on her door and asked.

Mrs Norton added: "It didn't really cross my mind it was about that – they don't usually come with armed police.

"Why didn't they tell me that and I could have explained it without all the drama?

"It's upset everyone when they could have just knocked on the door and asked if we had spoken to him."

A Kent Police spokesman said the force deployed officers because of information they had received.

Once there, they established a security containment around several addresses to provide a safe space and then asked the occupants to leave the house and come outside.

A spokesman said it is standard procedure in a firearms deployment and is to ensure the safety of those in the address and the wider public, and to determine the identity of those in the address.

Until the search was completed and the scene stood down, no members of the public were permitted to return to the property.

North Kent divisional commander Ch Supt Matthew Nix said: "While we can appreciate this was a distressing incident for those concerned, public safety is our number one priority and we ensured a proportionate and measured response to information received and the perceived threat.

"The safety of members of the public and our officers is paramount to us and while responding to an incident like this, our initial focus will be on making the scene safe, identifying any threats and detaining any suspects.

"We were seeking to detain an individual who is wanted by police for recall to prison.

"We would urge Luke Cassidy to make contact with the police and hand himself in for questioning as soon as possible."

Mr Nix said police would ask anybody who sees him to call 101, quoting most wanted, or Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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