FURTHER details have emerged of how a man shooting rabbits on his own land found himself at the centre of a police incident involving the force helicopter.

Cleveland Police officers were sent to wasteland at the Preston Farm Industrial Estate in Stockton, Teesside, at around 6.45pm last night.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a man with a gun being ordered to throw down his weapon, while the helicopter hovered overhead.

But it later transpired the man was lawfully shooting rabbits.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "We had a report from a member of the public of a person with a firearm.

"It was someone on his own land shooting a shotgun at rabbits."

The incident took place on wasteground behind the Soccer Sensations centre, a leisure facility with five-a-side football pitches.

Centre manager Daniel Pattison said: "There was a police helicopter there apparently.

"Everyone here came running inside, but it was all over pretty quickly."

Darren Walker, 20, from Stockton, who was in the centre's car park, said: "The man in the helicopter shouted 'put the gun down and walk towards the officers.' "There were two other officers stood to the side."

Do you know the man? Contact the newsdesk on 01325-505065.