A fake rifle sparked yesterday's armed police response to a report a man was carrying a shotgun.

They issued a description of the man seen at 8am yesterday near the Tesco store in Douglas.

A spokesman said: 'Following extensive enquiries we have managed to locate the male concerned and identified the item that was seen being carried. The item was an extremely lifelike stage prop of a rifle. Without being up close to the item and having knowledge of weapons, there would have been no way in telling that this was in fact a fake item. It was realistic, but having been examined found be harmless.'

The public has been thanked for responding to an appeal for information, with police adding on their facebook page that they hope people fully understand the reasons behind their actions, stating: 'This matter has been resolved without incident or harm to anyone, but serves as a timely reminder that if you need to carry stage props or re-enactment weapons that you ensure that they are properly covered, so as not to cause potential distress.'

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