SHOPPERS got a shock when they spotted snipers on top of a building in Barrow.

A number of eye-witnesses saw the armed police officers on the roof of Craven House in Michaelson Road on Saturday morning.

The officers appeared to have trained their rifles on a target in the direction of Cornwallis Street.

A small crowd congregated in Morrisons car park as shoppers asked each other to confirm they weren’t seeing things.

However, fortunately it turned out the incident was part of a training exercise, as Cumbria’s armed police unit revealed on Twitter.

Officers in Cumbria Police’s Tactical Support Group, who shared a picture from the rooftop, said on Twitter: “Rifle training this morning for some members of the support group #WatchingYouWatchingUs #Freezing #Windy #EyeInTheSky #WheresMyBrew #Barrow”

Taxi driver Brian White was gobsmacked when he first saw the snipers.

“I was just sat in my car in Morrisons car park minding my own business, waiting to pick up a fare, when I glanced towards Craven House and saw them,” he said.

“I had to do a double take.

“I was just thinking: 'What’s going on, is there some sort of hostage situation or something going on at the shipyard?’.

“You’d think they might have put something out in advance, to let people know it was a training exercise, so nobody panicked.

“Everyone was just looking at each other as if to say ‘This is real isn’t it? I’m not hallucinating am I?’.”