Gun and ammunition seized in Irlam nursery raid, two men arrested
Police raided a closed Salford nursery and found a firearm and large quantity of ammunition. Two men, aged in their 30s and 50s, have been arrested.
Gun and drugs arrests after police raid former Irlam nursery
Manchester Evening News reports that two men have been arrested after officers raided the premises of a recently closed nursery in Irlam, Salford, uncovering a firearm and a substantial quantity of ammunition.
Greater Manchester Police executed the warrant at the former Mini Fingers Day Nursery on Liverpool Road on Wednesday evening, 7 October, acting on intelligence. Officers from the Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) and Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit supported the operation.
A search of the building produced a gun and what detectives described as a "substantial quantity" of ammunition. On Thursday, officers were photographed carrying what appeared to be a large firearm in a clear evidence bag from the building to a waiting police vehicle.
Two men — one aged in his 50s and one in his 30s — were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, namely cocaine and cannabis. Both were taken into police custody for questioning.
Detective Inspector Rich McCorry, from GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group, said: "This operation demonstrates our continued commitment to disrupting serious organised crime and removing dangerous weapons from our streets."
McCorry added: "The seizure of any firearm is significant — it prevents the weapon from falling into the wrong hands, and we have potentially prevented a serious incident occurring recovering this gun."
He said officers would "continue to target those involved in organised criminality and pursue anyone seeking to profit from the supply of illegal drugs or the possession of firearms."
A large number of police vehicles — including a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) van and multiple TAU vans — were stationed on Liverpool Road throughout Thursday. Officers placed white sheets across the windows of the property. The police scene remained in place as of Thursday afternoon. A vehicle marked "Animals in Transit" also briefly attended the scene.
The nursery at the centre of the police operation had already been forced to close before the raid. Salford Council's environmental health department issued Mini Fingers with a prohibition order on Friday, 2 October, after inspectors found vermin in the building.
Parents were informed by email on Monday, 5 October, that the nursery would be closing permanently. The message cited "recent events" and financial pressure, with the owner stating she did "not see a way forward without the business being extremely out of pocket." The manager described herself as "devastated" by the closure.
The email explained that a collapsed drain beneath the baby room had allowed vermin to enter the building. The nursery also surrendered its Ofsted registration earlier this week, according to Salford Council.
The nursery's website and Facebook page appear to have been taken down. Parents have expressed "disappointment and disgust" on social media, with some claiming the nursery had been aware of the infestation "for some time" before the prohibition order was issued. The nursery manager has been contacted for comment.
Salford Council confirmed that both its environmental health and children's services departments have been working with affected families. A council spokesperson said: "Environmental Health and Children's Services officers took proactive and decisive action, issuing a prohibition order after we were alerted to an environmental issue at the nursery."
The spokesperson added: "This will be a stressful and unsettling time for parents and carers. However, our officers are working with families to help them find alternative childcare provision in the community."
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed the police scene on Liverpool Road remains active. The discovery of the firearm and drugs are being treated as unrelated to the nursery's closure over the rat infestation.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)