The child, who we have chosen not to identify, caused alarm when he chatted innocently about a toy weapon at the West Johnstone Family Centre on Beith Road.

Residents claimed they saw around nine police cars speed through streets in the town on Monday afternoon.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Police confirmed a house was searched in the area on Monday after being given information of “potential items” in a house.

However Inspector Gerry McBride, of Johnstone Community Police, was keen to allay any fears and stressed the outcome was a “negative search.” He added: “There was a report of a child who had made a comment about an item in a property and it was a necessity that police conducted a substantial search.

“No-one was charged and we are completely satisfied that there was no such items in the household.” The incident went viral on Facebook with residents expressing their fears over what had happened. However a woman, understood to be the child’s aunt, took to a popular social media page online to put an end to the worries.

She said: “No one is hurt. My nephew went in to nursery and says he had a gun — meaning toy gun.

“However they wanted to do an investigation and search the house.

“Just shows how serious they take things from kids.” One local mum contacted The Gazette with her concerns over a large police presence in the area.

She said: “It was a bit scary because I heard someone had a gun in their house — but we all know what Johnstone is like for rumours.

“A local neighbour had their house raided by the cops because the boy’s son walked into nursery and told the staff his dad had a gun in the house.

“When something that serious is said the police have no option but to act swiftly on it.” A spokeswoman for the nursery, situated in the St David’s and Cochrane Castle Primary building, declined to comment.