Herts Police have confrimed the reason a force helicopter was called in the early hours of this morning.

Residents had taken to social media after being woken by the incident at around 3.30am over Leavesden in Watford.

This afternoon a police spokesperson revealed they were assisting a search for a missing person.

However, the person remains missing and enquiries are ongoing, they added.

Several people took to social media asking about the noise.

One said: “Anyone else woken in the early hours with I assume the police helicopter? It was so loud. Thought it had landed outside.”

Another confirmed they had also heard it, saying: “Yep. 3.30 this morning and that was it. Wide awake on my day off!”

It was also described as being “sat in one place for quite a while” and “hovering over”.

Shenley bus crash

In an unrelated incident, a driver has been arrested after his bus hit a man who is now in a critical condition in hospital.

Police confirmed that a 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was arrested shortly after the bus hit a jogger in Porters Park Drive, at the junction with Grace Avenue, in Shenley yesterday (August 30).

The driver has been released on police bail while enquiries continue.