North Yorkshire Police has said that officers were unable to find anyone with a weapon following reports of gunfire in the Pinewoods last night.

In a statement published just after 11am today, police said that enquiries with residents revealed there had been “no sightings of anyone carrying a weapon”.

Armed officers sealed off the woodland and a police helicopter was deployed shortly after 5pm.

The statement said:

“At 5.01pm yesterday police were called to reports of several “loud bangs” in the Pinewoods area of Harrogate.

“Officers immediately attended and carried out an extensive search in the area. Specialist resources which included a firearms support unit and the police helicopter (NPAS) were brought in to assist.

“Further enquires with the members of the public who made the initial reports confirmed that there had been no sightings of anyone carrying a weapon. Officers concluded their search at just before 7.30pm and no individual

A police spokesman added that they believed the initial report “was made with good intent” and “We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously”.

Numerous residents told the Stray Ferret last night and today they had heard three gunshots.

Read more:

• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire
• Pinewoods gunfire: ‘Children were playing – people were terrified’

Responding to the police statement, one resident remain convinced they heard gunfire.

They also disputed the claim that police, whose Harrogate headquarters is less than a mile away, responded “immediately” and said one man was seen being detained in a police van before being later released.

The woman said:

“I’m surprised by the statement and it should have been communicated last night rather than have residents terrified. We aren’t making this up.”

A woman who heard three gunshots in the Pinewoods last night has said people were terrified when the reality of what was happening dawned on them.

The female, who lives in the Plantation area on Harlow Hill and asked not to be named, said children were playing in the woods as normal at about 5pm.

She said the three shots were fired over the space of about 15 minutes, adding:

“The first shot shook us up. The second time it happened I came out of the house and went into the woods.

“There were children playing in the woods, as usual. Parents had gathered to collect them. They were absolutely terrified.

“There was a longer gap between the second and third shots and when it came it sounded very close. My partner speculated that somebody might have been shooting at us.”

Police arrive at the scene last night.

Read more:

• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire
• Police silent over gunfire in Harrogate’s Pinewoods

North Yorkshire Police has not commented on the incident and the witness, who said she saw an officer carrying. a taser gun, said residents would have appreciated some news that the area was safe. She said:

“It’s not reassuring at all.”

The witness also said the gunshots were categorically not related to a training exercise at the nearby Army Foundation College, as many people have suggested on social media.

“We are a close community and we know what we heard. These three shots came from the Pinewoods.”

Armed police arrive.

North Yorkshire Police has so far remained silent over gunfire heard at the Pinewoods yesterday.

Armed officers closed off the area after residents reported hearing “very loud” bangs at about 5pm.

A police helicopter circled the 96-acre woodland, which is located a kilometre south of Harrogate town centre, for some time afterwards.

The Stray Ferret contacted the police for information last night, but 15 hours after the incident, no information has been released.

Officers at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road said only that a ‘containment exercise’ was being carried out. Armed police were stood down in the area after at about 7.15pm.

Two armed police officers were stationed at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road.

We spoke to several residents in the area who reported hearing gunfire. Many said they heard three shots and then noticed armed police and a helicopter brought in. There were also reports of a taser being brought to the scene.

One woman said she’d heard three gun shots but didn’t think such things happened in Harrogate so she assumed it was a car backfiring and went swimming.

The armed officers on Plantation Road.

Another person said a residents’ what’s app group had been going crazy with people wanting to know what was going on, as the Pinewoods is a popular local beauty spot.

But so far the police have remained silent and it is not known if anyone was hurt or if any arrests have been made.

Read more:

• Harrogate district people asked for views on police 101 and 999 calls
• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire