POLICE raced to a Bolton industrial estate after a passer-by reported a shooting, to find they had interrupted a prison officers' training exercise.

Police patrols swooped after a man walking past the Eagley Industrial Estate reported two men arguing before a shot was fired.

As officers were dispatched to the area, Greater Manchester Police's armed response unit was put on stand-by.

But, as the police team swooped, they ended up confronting a small group of prison officers on a twice weekly training session.

Angry Bolton police chiefs - who had not been informed about the training exercise - now intend to write to the prison department complaining about the incident.

Fired

The drama began shortly after 2pm yesterday when a man walking along Hough Lane, Eagley, heard raised voices.

He heard one man threaten another before started to count. When he reached the count of seven, a shot was fired.

The passer-by ran to a nearby phone box to make a 999 call to the police.

Police were on the scene in minutes and the entrance to the industrial estate was briefly sealed off before officers drove in to investigate.

They discovered the prison officers from a special team being trained in the transportation of category A prisoners around the North-west.

A police spokesman said: "The prison officers were a little embarrassed when we arrived and were very apologetic. The gentleman who raised the alarm did the right thing by contacting us."

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