Police tasered a blind man at a train station on Thursday evening after mistaking his walking stick for a gun.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police were called to a platform at Levenshulme Station after receiving a call that a middle-aged man had been seen holding a firearm.

Arriving at the scene, officers tasered the man with a 50,000 volt stun gun, after he failed to respond to police calls to drop what they believed to be a weapon.

In fact, the 43-year-old was blind and had been holding his cane, folded up, as he waited on the platform for a train home.

The man is believed to have collapsed before then being detained by officers.