Terrified residents spoke of their fear yesterday after an axe-wielding madman' brought terror to a sleepy Shenley cul-de-sac on Wednesday night.

A man drove into Cockle Way at around 8pm and got out of a red van with an axe.

He ran around the road, jumping over fences in and out of gardens, swinging the weapon as he went.

He then smashed up a parked car before getting back into his van and driving off towards London Road.

When he approached Black Lion Hill, he jumped out of the vehicle and made off on foot.

Police failed to catch the man despite deploying a helicopter and sniffer dogs to the scene. Officers later found the axe in the back of his abandoned van.

A description of the man has not been released.

Jane Roberts, 35, from Cockle Way, said: "It was terrifying.

"We just saw this madman with a giant axe swinging it around. My friend was coming out of a house and he wielded it in her face.

"We were very scared and just double-locked our doors like the police told us to.

"I think he was a traveller or a suspect who had escaped from somewhere."

A police spokesman last night said investigations were ongoing.