Police said on Tuesday they had raided five homes in central England as part of a terrorism probe into a group suspected of being involved in "promoting violent extremist views".

Staffordshire Police said they had searched the houses in Stoke-on-Trent under the Terrorism Act following what they said was concern about the activities of a small number of people in the local community.

This group was said to be promoting extremism and radicalising vulnerable members of the community. So far police said there had been no arrests.

"We can only tackle the real and serious threat posed to us all by violent extremism if we all work together," said Chief Superintendent Jane Sawyers.

The operation posed no direct risk to public safety, detectives said.

Sawyers added that local officers would be meeting community leaders to keep them briefed on the situation.

"However, I also fully understand that there may be concerns and feelings of vulnerability," she said.

"We are working closely with our communities to support everyone by keeping them informed about today's operation."