On attending, three firearms and ammunition were found in land off Argyle Street – all three have been examined and are viable firearms. No arrests have been made.
The discovery was made by two children aged seven and 10.
Inspector Jenny Partington, of GMP’s Rochdale district and the neighbourhood inspector for Heywood, said: “This sort of discovery will undoubtedly be unsettling for the community but we are determined to find out who owned the firearms and was reckless enough to try and hide them where they could be found by children.
“We have carried out a thorough search of the area and will have extra patrols in the area today and for the next few days.
“We would urge anyone who knows anything about these firearms to come forward and tell police.
“We would also warn anyone who makes a similar discovery not to touch the items but to call police immediately.”
Anyone with information about this incident should contact police on 0161 856 8719 quoting log 2918-20/3/23.
Information can also be reported online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk. If you can’t report online, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
