ALLOWAY locals were disturbed on Saturday night after they heard a loud noise which they described as ‘being like a gun going off’.

Around 10.45pm on Saturday, June 18 police received an emergency call from a concerned resident on Woodend Road who witnessed a large bang followed by a flash of orange light coming from the direction of Rozelle Park.

Various home owners on the street also claim to have heard the noise which they also thought could have been a gun shot or an explosion from a nearby substation. 

Police attended and searched the area on the night after the incident was reported and found no power surges or evidence of any criminality leaving the source of the bang a mystery.

But residents have said the noise caused them concern as it was ‘too loud’ and ‘too infrequent’ to be a firework, forcing them to rush outside to investigate the situation for themselves. 

This comes just months after a man tried to lure a girl who is primary seven at Alloway Primary School into his car one morning at the bus stop opposite the park where the ‘explosion’ took place.

The Ayr Advertiser Series understands that a large flash of light could be seen two streets back from Rozelle which has been described as a quiet park and ranked number seven on Trip Advisor in a list of top 40 things to do and see in Ayr.

Rozelle first opened to the public in 1968 for cultural and recreational uses, combining of woodland and parkland walks which are now being avoided as a result Saturday night’s events.

Some locals say they thought they could hear and see a helicopter in the early hours of Sunday morning heading for the park to assess the situation but this has not been confirmed by police.