Witnesses describe 'riot' in Rochdale which left two men in hospital

People living near Sandy Lane were woken at around 12.30am on Wednesday.

Author: Victoria GloverPublished 17th Jul 2019

Crime scene investigators have taped off a street in Rochdale following what's being described as a "riot" overnight.

Police were called at 12:25am on Wednesday to reports of a disturbance on Greave Avenue, close to the junction with Sandy Lane.

Residents woke to see men with machetes and bats smashing the windows of cars and a house.

Two men were taken to hospital, one with with serious leg injuries and investigations are ongoing.

Sandy Lane is currently closed from the junction with Edenfield Road to the junction with Bury Old Road.

There are diversions in place but commuters are advised to avoid the area where possible.

Anybody with information about the disturbance should contact police on 0161 856 8420, quoting incident number 56 of 17 July 2019, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111