Police have arrested nine people, including six on suspicion of murder, after a 20-year-old father died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Dwayne Ayres, of Cricket Hill Lane, Yateley, died at 3.50am after being taken to Frimley Park Hospital by car.

Police said Mr Ayres leaves behind a partner and an 18-month old child.

The ambulance service called police at 2.39am on Sunday after Mr Ayres was brought into the hospital by car, after being seriously injured at a house in Holt Way, Hook, just after 2am, police said.

Despite the efforts of hospital staff to save his life, he died just over an hour later.

Police subsequently arrested nine people, eight men and a woman. Six were arrested on suspicion of murder and three for an alleged aggravated burglary.

All nine are still being held at police stations across Hampshire.

Police cordoned off a house in Holt Way, Hook, as forensics teams carried out searches of the area.

Specialist officers also sealed off another home in nearby Four Acre Coppice.

Neighbours in Holt Way and surrounding residential roads, a smart area of mainly detached and semi-detached modern houses, reported that police in white protective clothing had been carrying out searches of bins and drains throughout the day.

Detectives were also carrying out house-to-house inquiries to try and gather evidence about what had happened.

Police said the efforts were part of “extensive inquiries”, carried out by officers from Hampshire police’s major crimes department, support unit and local officers.

However, neighbours living beside the sealed-off chalet-style house in Holt Way reported that they had not been disturbed during the night.

People in the area described their shock on Sunday morning as they awoke to find a major murder investigation being played out on their doorsteps.

A post-mortem is currently being carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Huw White at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

The officer in charge of the inquiry has urged anyone with any information about the incident to come forward.

Det Sup Kevin Walton said: “This is an unusual and isolated event and we have specialist trained police officers in the area today, speaking to local community to enable us to establish exactly what has happened.

“Extra officers will be on patrol and providing high visibility reassurance.

“I would urge anyone who has any information regarding this incident to speak to them in order to help us.”

A police spokeswoman said that it was “completely inappropriate” for the police to speculate on any theory or motive behind the death while the nine people were still being held.

Police have asked people who may know something about the incident to call the force’s major crimes unit at Grosvenor House on 0845 045 45 45, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.