When it comes to bonding exercises, there aren't many that beat paintballing, even if it is known to leave the odd bruise.

The Mail's reporters didn't let that bother them when, in 1992, they travelled to Barrow's only paintball site at Survivor Drome, on Project Furness, which was run by local heating engineers Graeme Brocklebank and Michael Atkinson.

The Mail:

The venue for a three-hour game was a warehouse that on the inside was described as looking like "downtown Sarajevo after a night of heavy shelling."

On what brings people to paintballing, Mr Brocklebank said: "It appeals to people because it's basically good fun. It's a good run-around and you can get rid of steam."

The Mail:

That's exactly what happened in 1994 when Barrow's police officers wiped the floor with their counterparts from Carlisle with a series of games near Newby Bridge.

At a time when armed police was starting to be a more common sight, chief inspector of Barrow police said: "In Barrow we are more subtle than in other parts of the country. We prefer to use paint."

The Mail:

The Barrow team splattered the Carlisle team, who they met up with every few months, by winning all nine of the games that they played, showing the people of the town they serve that they were in safe hands.