A 74-year-old man and his fiancé stumbled across a live firearms incident while they were on a country cycle ride over the bank holiday weekend.

Will Merrell and his partner Jane, 73, were stopped by armed police and told to turn around when they tried to cycle through Chetwode, a small village on the border of Oxfordshire, on Sunday, April 30.

The officers, who were reportedly dressed all in black with helmets and guns, were dealing with a live firearms incident and asked the couple to leave for their safety.

READ MORE: Motorcyclist hospitalised after crash near Bicester

The police operation resulted in a man, Robert Farndon, 38, being charged with assault, possession of a firearm with the intention to cause fear of violence, and threats to kill. 

He was due at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Tuesday May 2. 

Mr Merrell, who lives in Croughton in Northamptonshire, said the experience was ‘the last thing you expect on a country cycle ride.’

Oxford Mail: Will Merrell, 74, and his partner Jane, 73, stumbled across the firearms incident in Chetwode

Before the incident, the couple had visited Preston Bissett Nurseries and Country Shop and were cycling home when they passed through Chetwode. 

“There was a helicopter up in the sky going round and round and round,” said Mr Merrell. “We turned a corner in Chetwode, and we came down the road two or three hundred yards.”

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As the couple passed two BMW police vehicles parked outside a row of houses, two officers jumped out and told them to turn back. 

Mr Merrell has criticised the armed officers for not blocking off the area to passers-by, but police have since insisted they acted in the best way to keep members of the public safe.

Mr Merrell said: “They shouldn’t have let us go through or let anyone near it. We got past the two cars, and they must have realised there were two cyclists and they jumped out.

“One of the blokes just went wild saying ‘you can’t come here.’ He was shouting just like on the TV when they bash the doors down. 

READ MORE: Man arrested for burglary in rural area where police have issued warning

“The other man had a bit of a conscience and asked politely if we could turn around and said, ‘we have a firearms incident.’

Oxford Mail: Will Merrell, 74, and his partner Jane, 73, stumbled across the firearms incident in Chetwode

“It seems to me you don’t have to shout. I turned around and said don’t shout at me. There was no need for what he had done.

“If he was on the ball, they would have blocked the road. If it was that important. But they didn’t and they didn’t see us or hear us. They were tucked behind the car and suddenly we were there.”

The couple turned around and cycled home another route, warning other cyclists they passed about the incident. 

A spokesman from Thames Valley Police said: “Our officers were dealing with a live firearms incident and had to ask members of the public to move away from the area to keep them safe.”