UPDATE: Reported shooting incident involved cameras - not guns

It happened at 6.09pm yesterday, when police received a report from a member of the public that they had seen someone in a black vehicle discharge a firearm at a blue coloured vehicle while both were driving north on the A194 (M) northbound near to the junction of the A195 at Follingsby, Gateshead.

A full investigation has been carried out into the incident and Northumbria Police say they now know there was no shooting and no firearms involved in the incident.

A spokesman said: “We have traced and spoken to people involved in the incident and established that they were using camera equipment to film the cars driving on the A194 at around 6pm on Sunday evening.

“We believe the person who reported this to us has seen the camera equipment being held outside of the vehicle and assumed that it was a firearm.

“The call was made in good faith and they did the right thing in reporting this to police.”

The A194 is fully re-opened and there will be no further closures in the area.