Police called in for The Bill

Actors on The Bill were in need of genuine police protection when they were shot at with an air rifle while filming, the Sun reports.

12:23 27 May 2005

Actors on The Bill were in need of genuine police protection when they were shot at with an air rifle while filming, the Sun reports.

Real-life officers rushed to the scene to help, while one crewmember was hit on the hand, although it did not pierce the glove he was wearing.

"It was like something out of one of our plots. The cast were extremely shaken," an insider told the newspaper.

Trudie Goodman, who plays Sgt June Ackland, Roberta Taylor, who plays inspector Gina Gold and Jeff Stewart, who plays PC Reg Hollis, were reportedly all on the set at the time.

The shots are believed to have been fired by youngsters from nearby flats on the Roundshaw council estate in Wallington, south London, where the cast were filming.

"There was a loud crack that sent everyone diving for cover. It definitely sounded like a real bullet," the source added.

A police spokesman confirmed that an airgun incident was reported in Hermes Way in Wallington at 16:00 BST on May 19th.

"Police were called to reports of an airgun being fired. A pellet hit a male on a glove causing no injuries," a spokesman told the Press Association.

Officers stayed on set all day as a precaution but the police spokesman said no further action had been taken.