Salford Precinct LIVE: Shops closed amid reports of planned 'protests'

Shops in Salford Precinct are closed this afternoon amid reports of planned 'protests'.

All entrances to the shopping centre are shut this afternoon. Shops, including the Aldi supermarket, have their shutters down.

This comes amid reports on social media of people gathering at the precinct from 1pm today (August 6), with fears of a potential disorder. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were aware of the planned 'protest'.

READ NEXT: LIVE court updates as more suspects appear over disorder in Greater Manchester

An order is set to be put in place around the precinct which will allow for stepped-up police powers. Full details on the order are expected to be released soon.

We have a reporter on the scene in Salford and will bring the latest updates on the blog below.

Read more of today's top stories here

On Sunday the police introduced a similar order in Bolton.

The town was facing a planned protest event and police moved to introduce new powers as a result.

A Section 60 and Section 60AA were authorised across Bolton, following an earlier Section 34 dispersal notice.

Under a Section 60, officers have extra powers to stop and search people in defined areas within a specific timeframe. A Section 60AA authority allows us to require people to remove face coverings used to disguise or conceal their appearance.

These temporary powers were enforced until 10pm.

Police put in place special powers earlier today amid rumours of the planned 'protest' at Salford Precinct.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police had confirmed to the MEN that officers were aware of the potential for the event to take place.

An was put in place around the precinct which allows for stepped-up police powers.

Offic