Being a Salford bobby has its ups and downs...

This was the amusing scene when five officers got stuck in a lift at Swinton Police Station.

The constables got trapped for around 45 minutes as they were heading to a team meeting - but they weren’t rescued by the long arm of the law.

The fire service were called to the scene and used the lift’s emergency over-ride to lower them back to the ground floor, where they walked out again.

The photo was posted on Facebook and Twitter by the constables’ delighted colleagues after the calamity occurred at around 8am on Friday morning.

GMP Salford West posted a photo of their stranded colleagues on their Facebook page and joked: “Do you remember the 33 Chilean miners trapped and then rescued in 2010? We currently have 5 officers stuck in a lift at Swinton Police Station #prayforthem#”

The post had almost 700 likes from GMP followers in two hours.

Wendy Leach Marshall joked: “Typical Brits even though there in such grave danger they still smile how brave our heroes #pray for them”

Frances O’sullivan added: “They will not live it down x”

Kenneth Brotherton posted: “Hope they are out before Christmas. xxx”

Nick Clarke wrote: “They must be hungry by now! Do you need an emergency Greggs run?”

Sgt Mike Parker at Swinton Police Station said: “They were going to an 8am team meeting and the lift got stuck between the ground floor and the first floor. We joked about sending them down doughnuts on a bucket and rope and things like that, and it’s had a great response on Facebook.”