ARMED police were called to a street yesterday after reports that a youth armed with a rifle was wandering near two schools.
Police were informed at about 8.45am yesterday that three youths, one of them with some form of rifle, were walking along Whitworth Road, in Spennymoor, County Durham, close to Whitworth Special School and Spennymoor Comprehensive School.
When the armed response unit arrived, they found only broken milk bottles and air-gun pellets, a police spokesman said later.
Inspector Andy Neill, of Newton Aycliffe police, said armed police were always sent following sightings of people with firearms.
He said: "It might seem heavy-handed, but in this instance we had people who were seen with some kind of firearm - even though it proved only to be someone shooting milk bottles with an air rifle and not as serious as at first feared."
* If you have information, contact Spennymoor or Newton Aycliffe police on (01325) 314401
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