Armed man remains at large: Tameside residents warned to be vigilant as hunt for Hollingworth robber continues

By Dean Wilkins

A manhunt is continuing in Hollingworth as an armed robber remains at large in Tameside.

The man threatened residents and stole cash from a flat in the quiet village and escaped through Market Street at around 10.25am yesterday.

No shots were fired, but roads were shut by armed police for six hours as children were kept in schools and parents were urged to be vigilant.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: "The man we are looking for remains at large, so I would ask that people be vigilant, be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to police. If you have any concerns please approach an officer or contact us and we will be happy to talk to you.

"The search remains ongoing and we will keep our communities informed should there be any developments."

He added: "There has been a lot of rumour, speculation and understandable anxiety in the Hollingworth community today so I want to address that and give people the facts as we know them.

"At about 10.25am yesterday, we received a report that a man carrying a gun robbed a house in the Market Street area.

"Since that time, there have been no further sightings of this man or the weapon, we have not received any reports that shots have been fired and no-one has been injured.

"Nevertheless, whenever we receive a report of a firearm we have to take all the appropriate steps to protect our communities from harm, which is why we took the step of closing a number of roads and asking children to remain in their schools.

"We have since lifted those restrictions and the message I want to send to those residents who are worried is that where possible they should continue to go about their daily business and we do not want people to be afraid to go out."

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