A major incident has been declared in Southport, after several people, including children, were stabbed in an attack in the seaside town.
Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service both responded to the incident this morning.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said:
We can confirm that emergency services are in Southport following a major incident this morning, Monday 29 July.
At around 11.50am, we were called to a property on Hart Street to reports of a stabbing.
There are a number of reported casualties and more details will be confirmed when possible.
Armed police have detained a male and seized a knife. He has been taken to a police station.
Please avoid the area while we deal with this incident. There is no wider threat to the public.
Follow us for further updates.
A statement from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital said:
We can confirm that the Trust has declared a major incident.
The Trust is working with other emergency services to respond to this incident and our Emergency Department is currently extremely busy.
We ask parents to only bring their children to the Emergency Department if it is urgent.
All other appointments and services are running as normal.
From North West Ambulance Service:
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is responding to a major incident following a call at 11:48am to Hart Street in Southport following reports of multiple stabbings.
We have dispatched 13 ambulances along with specialised resources of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), Air Ambulance and Merit Doctors to the scene.
So far, NWAS has treated eight patients with stab injuries who have been taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Southport and Formby hospital.
