Golborne High school locked down by armed police after online gun threat

Threat believed to have been a ‘hoax’

Parents wait for their children outside of Golborne High School in Wigam (Screengrab/Ramazani Mwamba)

A school in Greater Manchester was locked down on Monday after a person made an online gun threat.

Just before 11am, armed police rushed to Golborne High School in Wigan, after receiving reports that an individual claiming to be in possession of a gun was making threats to the school.

Several police vehicles were seen close to the school gates, and the school was placed on lockdown as a precaution.

Concerned families gathered outside the school after reading about the threat and police response on social media.

One parent told the Manchester Evening News: “I had no idea what was going on, I called them [their child] and got no response. It was scary.”

Another said: “I was with my wife at home and we got a call that something had happened so I shot down here.”

Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) Chief Inspector Liz Sanderson, of Wigan Division, said in a statement that armed officers had “been deployed to the scene and the school” had been “locked down as a precaution”.

She added: “The threats were made over the internet and no one has approached the area with a firearm.”

Later on Monday afternoon, GMP confirmed that the incident was understood to have been a “hoax”.

In a Facebook post, the Golborne and Lowton West councillors Yvonne Klieve, Susan Gambles, and Gena Merrett, shared an updated statement from the force.

“At around 10.42am this morning (22 November) police received a report online of what is now believed to be a hoax, from an individual claiming that they were going to attend a school on Lowton Road, Golborne, in possession of a firearm,” the statement said.

“Officers attended and it was established that there was no one with a firearm present.

The statement added that enquiries were ongoing, and police patrols would remain in the area over the coming days to reassure the public.