A couple were shocked when their two children claimed they had uncovered a gun while playing at a popular Greater Manchester beauty spot.
Annabelle Coatman, seven, and Lincoln Buckle, six, found what looked like an old rusty pistol while enjoying a day out at their local reservoir, understood to be Dovestone, with their parents Jeny Chapman, 34, and Matt Coatman, 49.
The family were incredibly concerned that the weapon was real after inspecting it and later posting it on social media. Matt said: "We had been down the local reservoir, and obviously they are quite dry at the moment. Annabelle and Lincoln wanted to go down and explore, then Annabelle picked the gun up but she thought it was a car light initially."
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He continued: "She was like 'oh I've found a car light', and then she went 'oh, it's a gun'. She shouted Lincoln over, and they were both looking at it.
"I went over and had a look to see what state the gun was in. At first I didn't know if it was a real gun or not, but when I felt the weight of it, I knew it was either real or a very good replica. I was expecting it to be plastic, but it felt real."
Matt noted that the children were actively treasure hunting and were excited when they found something at the Oldham reservoir. "They were just doing what they love doing, they were just exploring and enjoying themselves," he added.
"They were just doing what kids love to do, looking for treasure, and they found that." Jeny, from Mossley, posted an image of what the children found on Facebook while asking people if they believed it was a real gun or not - most believed that it was a real pistol.
Mark said: "We've not heard anything back from the police yet. When we took it to the police station, they put it in an evidence bag and took it in. So I think they will run some tests on it or something."
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "The weapon is not real and had not been attempted to be converted. But we’d like to thank the person for reporting it and making us aware, they absolutely did the right thing." The force has been contacted by the Manchester Evening News for more information.
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