TWO men were due to appear in court today following an incident when bricks were allegedly thrown at police officers.

Gary Hook, aged 29, from Dorset Road, Atherton, is charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and various other motoring offences.

Mark Richardson, aged 37, from Kirby Avenue, also in Atherton, was allegedly the passenger in a blue Ford transit van. He is accused of affray and a series of motoring offences.

The two men were due before Wigan magistrates. They were arrested on Monday afternoon in the Atherton area. Police received a report about a suspicious vehicle on a car park on Kirkhall Lane Leigh, shortly before 5pm. When they arrived, a van allegedly drove off and items including bricks were allegedly thrown out of the van towards the police car.

The vehicle is then said to have travelled onto Atherleigh Way, through Golborne and back towards Leigh via Slag Lane.

It then allegedly was driven back to Kirkhall Lane and left Leigh travelling towards Atherton, with the police patrol cars still behind it.

The van is said to have been involved in collisions with several other vehicles throughout the incident.

Greater Manchester Police's force helicopter also took to the sky during the incident.

A police stinger device was deployed on Leigh Road just before Atherton and the vehicle was abandoned on Market Street in Atherton at about 5.15pm.