Police hunting man after air gun leads to armed response in Padiham

It was reported the two men were having a verbal altercation on Peel Street at around 7-30pm on September 26th, before they entered a nearby house. It appeared one of the men was carrying a knife and one was carrying something which looked like a handgun.

Police attended and cordoned off the property. One man then exited the house and handed himself over to officers.

A 57-year-old man from Padiham was later arrested on suspicion of affray and has been released on police bail until December 29th.

A subsequent search of the house turned up a knife, while an air gun was found discarded nearby.

Police are now appealing for information about the incident, and in particular would like to identify a second man who was seen entering the address but was not present when police searched the property.

DC Andrew Maden, of Burnley CID, said: “This incident took place on a residential street and we believe somebody may have seen something which could help with our enquiries.

“Maybe you saw the males in the moments prior to the argument, or you saw the argument itself. If you have any information we would urge you to get in touch.

“We would also like to reassure the public that we are treating this as an isolated incident. It is simply an argument which has got out of hand and we don’t believe there is any wider threat to the public. However we have stepped up patrols in the area while we conduct our enquiries.”

The male being sought by police is described as white, aged in his early 30s, around 6ft. tall, of skinny build with dark hair.

Anybody with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log number 1188 of September 26th. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.