PEOPLE in Stockton are being warned not to be alarmed by widespread police activity in the town on Tuesday (June 14) as part of a major training exercise.

One of the largest outdoor emergency exercises is taking place in the town.

Exercise Trafalgar will incorporate Cleveland Police, Stockton Borough Council, the ambulance service, Cleveland Fire Brigade, Stockton Riverside College and Thirteen Housing Group.

They are being kept in the dark about what fake emergency situation they will be facing - to ensure the response is as real as possible.

The unknown scenario will be played out at a secret location in Stockton town centre.

Stockton Riverside College students will act as casualties - and production arts students will work with Amputees in Action to set up the scene.

Construction students are also building realistic sets to keep agencies guessing during the exercise.

Members of the public can see the exact location on the day of the exercise through social media

using #clevelandLRF, on police and partner Facebook pages, or via local media.

Chair of Cleveland Local Resilience Forum, Phil Lancaster, said: “This exercise will stringently test the skills of our emergency services and the plans we have in place to deal with major incidents. We have highly professional and competent teams working in Cleveland keeping the area safe.

“This exercise gives us the opportunity to test our plans against realistic scenarios so that we can be confident that when we have to deal with major emergencies, responders are prepared.

“Stockton Town Centre will be a hive of activity during the exercise but the exact location must be kept a secret to make the scenario as real as possible. The exercise has been months in the planning and I would like to thank all the partners involved for their fantastic work.”

The exercise will take place late afternoon and into the evening and there may be some road closures in place.