Pictures have circulated on social media showing snipers on roofs in Manchester city centre during the Tory Party conference.

Police marksmen can be seen on the top of the Great Northern complex, and it is understood they are also on situated on other another city centre building.

Many wrote about the pictures on social media. Twitter user Ben Whittingham posted an aerial photograph of a man looking through the sniper on top of a roof.

He captioned it: “Just a police sniper on roof of Tory party conference, which resembles a prison.”

Another user, Ben McNally, wrote: “Sniper team on the roof of great northern ... For safety.”

Police have defended the decision to use the marksmen saying they are there ‘purely for observation’.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “It is an ongoing observation of the biggest march that has ever been in Manchester because of the Tory Party conference.

(Image: Matt Richardson)

“But they are there purely for observation and supporting the police at the march as it’s a major public event.

“They are high up for that reason, to observe. And they [the guns] are used for their powerful sight, which is stronger than any pair of binoculars. They are not there to shoot people.”

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