A police officer was shot dead today during a training exercise, Greater Manchester police said.

Greater Manchester Police said the officer was taking part in a pre-planned exercise with other officers from the force in Newton Heath, Manchester, when he was injured at around 11.32am today.

He suffered serious gunshot wounds to the chest and was rushed to North Manchester General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A spokesman for the force said the shooting occurred while the officer was on an exercise which was taking place on Thorpe Road, an area of factories.

It was not immediately clear if the officer had been shot accidentally by one of his own colleagues.