A garden which used to belong to a convicted people smuggler was being dug up yesterday as part of a major specialist police operation.

Officers refused to say what they were looking for or why they were digging in the small patch of land at Cripps Avenue, Peacehaven.

The property used to belong to former Grenadier Guardsman Allan Gallop who earned thousands of pounds by importing boat loads of illegal Chinese immigrants from Calais in 2004.

Gallopp was jailed for four years at Maidstone Crown Court in 2005 for his part in the smuggling ring, organised by the notorious Snakehead gangsters.

Detectives refused to either confirm or deny that the digging was linked to Gallopp but said it was an operation sparked by "intelligence" officers had received.

Detective Sargeant Jon Gross from Newhaven Police said: "We have reason to believe there is something buried in the garden.

"It is not something sinister but we cannot say at this stage what it is we are looking for."

A specialist police search unit arrived at the semi-detached house at about 9am yesterday morning and removed three skips of rubble and earth but found nothing.

DS Gross said they had only dug half the garden and would be continuing to dig today.

A police spokesman said: "Police are anxious to stress this search is in no way connected to the current owners of the property.

"At this stage police are not certain what, if anything, will be found, or that any crime has been committed."