'Armed' police to be on the streets of small Somerset village for weeks

A small village in Somerset will be used by police officers carrying weapons for firearms training from tomorrow (April 8).

Rodney Road in Backwell will be the site of the specialist firearms training every Friday from April 8 until June 10.

The street is the main centre of Backwell, lined by residential properties, a supermarket and various other shops.

Locals are being urged not to feel alarmed, as the force has said no live ammunition will be used and that clear signage will be in place to warn people of the training taking place.

In a letter to residents and businesses it said: "We will be carrying out training with police firearms officers in the local area."

"It will involve officers approaching role players and dealing with them using various tactics while carrying training firearms.

"There will be no live ammunition used during the scenario, but quiet blank ammunition may be used which only makes a small cracking sound."

"The instructors will place out police training signs in the relevant area when this is taking place and they will be readily identifiable in their high visibility training tabards."

The training is being run by the Portishead based Black Rock Specialist Training Centre.

The centre is used by hundreds of officers a year 300 from three West Country police forces.

It was opened in November 2015 but damaged and rebuilt after an arson attack two years later.

The centre said "I hope you understand the need for us to try and replicate realistic training conditions for our officers."

The force have not said why Rodney Road - a busy street at the heart of Backwell - has been chosen for the location of the training.