THE police helicopter was called out in the early hours of this morning after an attempted burglary.

Cheshire Police received reports of ‘suspicious activity’ on Grafton Street in Whitecross shortly before 3am today, Wednesday.

Witnesses reported seeing three men in a garden and believed that they may have been trying to break into a property.

Officers attended the scene but were unable to locate the trio despite a search assisted by the police helicopter – which was seen hovering over areas including Whitecross, Old Hall and Callands for roughly half an hour.

A force spokesman said: “At 2.50am on Wednesday, April 7, police were called to reports of suspicious activity on Grafton Street.

“The caller reported seeing three men in a garden who were possibly attempting to break into a property.

“Local officers, supported by the police helicopter, attended the address and conducted a search of the local area but they were unable to locate the men.”

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, quoting incident number IML957672, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.