A HAVE-A-GO hero actor from the Bolton-based series Cops has been honoured by real-life police chiefs.

Jack Marsden, 37, went to the aid of a woman cyclist in Manchester city centre when she was set upon by two men who stole her bike.

Mr Marsden, who played Danny Rylance in the award-winning series, chased the pair through city centre streets, eventually pinning one to the ground after he tripped, catching the man's ankle as he fell.

The super-fit actor, who is a martial arts expert, this week was presented with a special Citation of Merit by Chief Constable David Wilmot at a glittering awards ceremony.

The police award follows a recent prison sentence served by Mr Marsden handed down by magistrates after he took his then Page Three Bolton girlfriend, Ruth Higham, on a terror ride.

Six police officers from the area were also honoured at the ceremony at Manchester Town Hall.

Sgt Andrew Greenhalgh, from Bolton, but based in the Wigan division, Det Con Vincent Gibbons, from Bury, and PC Asif Hussain, from Worsley, who both work at Grey Mare Lane police station in Manchester, were commended for their work in a 1997 investigation into the murder of a young boy.

PC Stuart Pizzey, 39, from Worsley was named Community Police Officer of the Year as well as receiving a Citiation of Merit for his work in Manchester city centre.

Long Service and Good Conduct medals went to 46-year-old Swinton officer Insp Kathryn Palin, based at Grey Mare Lane divisional traffic unit, and PC David Thomas, 48, who lives in Bolton and works at Manchester's Bootle Street..