Two arrested after women 'held against their will'

Armed police forced their way into a house where two women were allegedly being held "against their will".

Firearms officers went to the property in Atherton, Wigan, earlier because two men "were not engaging with our force negotiator", a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesman said.

The entrance had been barricaded with sofas and other furniture, and the suspects were eventually found hiding in a cupboard.

Two men, aged 31 and 21, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap, possession of a bladed article and recall to prison.

A knife and a sword were recovered from the scene.

GMP said the officers went into the property because they had "every reason to believe the two women could come to serious physical harm".

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said: "We know local residents in the Atherton area will have seen a large police presence earlier as our specialist officers tried to ensure this incident was brought to a safe resolution within an hour.

"Our officers are brilliantly trained and committed people who can face unpredictable and highly dangerous incidents with professionalism and skill to do the job very few of us could do."

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