Armed police swooped on a factory after reports of gunshots - only to find workers in the middle of a game of cricket.
Firearms officers supported by a helicopter swooped on the Power Star plant, in Cheadle, Manchester, after reports that a gun had been fired five times.
But when the shocked suspects emerged they were armed with nothing more than a cricket bat and a ball, reports the Manchester Evening News.
It is believed that a passer-by mistook the sound of the ball hitting a metal shutter for gunshots.
Workers at the sports equipment factory had been watching England play in the cricket World Cup and decided to recreate the match after finishing work.
Worker Mohammed Ijaz, 25, said: "We were just messing around and could hear shouting saying 'Come out! Come out!'. At first we carried on as we didn't realise it was to do with us.
"But when we realised it was, we headed outside and as soon as we opened the door we could see lots of armed police. It was a bit of a shock but they were just doing their job."
Police say the report of gunshots at the factory was made by a passer-by in good faith.
Chief Superintendent Rebekah Sutcliffe said: "All reports of gunshots are taken very seriously and because of the potential threat to people's lives we have to take swift and appropriate action to deal with these very serious risks."
No comments:
Post a Comment