Police cordon off street for hours following reports of group in balaclavas 'fighting with weapons'

Police taped off a street in Salford for a number of hours on Sunday afternoon following reports of a fight involving groups of young people. Ackworth Road in Swinton was cordoned off at around 4pm in the afternoon and remained in place until the evening.

The road, which is a dead end and described by residents as 'usually quiet', was blocked off by police close to the entrance of Destructor Road, a small footpath, which crosses through to Sefton Road, behind Mossfield Primary School. There was a large police presence and crime scene investigators also in attendance making enquiries.

The nature of the incident has not yet been confirmed, although an eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News that a fight had broken out between two groups of people 'wearing balaclavas' and wielding weapons. Others living nearby said the cordon had been in place for around four hours, until approximately 8pm.

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One resident said that they had witnessed the area being taped off and confirmed that there had been issues with anti-social behaviour in the past. They said: "It is usually quiet around here as it is a dead end. Around there, we have had issues in the past close to the small pathway with young people and antisocial behaviour and drugs."

Pictures from the scene show a police cordon and numerous officers in attendance. It is not yet known if there were any injuries or any arrests made in relation to the incident, but Greater Manchester Police have been approached for information.