sirens and liverpool echo she heard sirens and helicopters circling around and this is the quote from her, then messages started going around the local whatsapp group that a man was running around stabbing people. that is reported by the liverpool echo. this lady said we were terrified, panicking, sick with worry. i don't know how this can happen on a monday lunchtime. we have few details at the moment. can you give us a sense of the geography? do you know whereabouts this is? this is in the north—west of the country, not too far from north—west of the country, not too farfrom liverpool. the whole north—west of the country, not too far from liverpool. the whole of the street very much blocked off by these emergency vehicles. the one bit of warning that it spits out in situations like this, and we don't know what the situation is, we don't

know what the situation is, we don't know how mass casualty otherwise this incident might be, but met speculation on social media, you have to be very careful about that. this would have been a call, it doesn't matter if i went to the police or ambulance first, worth a reported casualties, where there are there are reports of stabbing, police and ambulances will attend. we can see fire appliances on the same day, as well. there is a multi—agency situation. you would expect a good command to be set up there. some of the senior within emergency services coordinator and that action on the ground. typically in scenes where or reported

casualties and reported stabbings, the concern of the paramedics is going to be to save as many people as possible. from a pleasing perspective, what they don't want is for those emergency services workers to become a casualty themselves. there will be because communications between the control rooms, the prison and the ambulance service and the fire service. these emergency services will be working hand in hand. merseyside police said in their statement that they do not believe there is a wider risk or threat to the public. a man has been detained, a knife has been seized. reading into the wording of the press release, you can see that the police are suggesting that the situation has been neutralised. that is brilliant news from a casualty treatment perspective, because at that threat has been neutralised, clearly the experts in emergency

trauma, first aid and medicine will get in there and help as many people as possible. i police say if you can avoid the area, emergency services are trying to work there, please do stay away. this has all happened in the last couple of hours. police said at around 1150 there were called to this property on hart street to reports of a stabbing. they say there are a number of reported casualties. they say armed police have detained a meal and seized a knife and he has been taken to a police station. somebody has been arrested and police said that while people should avoid the area, there is no wider threat to the public. you were just telling us what happens when the police get this kind of call. they have declared a major incident. what does that mean? it is declared a ma'or incident. what does that mean? , . that mean? it is all in the

coordination _ that mean? it is all in the coordination of _ that mean? it is all in the coordination of the - that mean? it is all in the - coordination of the emergency services. they have to work as one. what would have happened for ambulance crews in the area, there would have been an urgent call on the radio, there would have sent an urgent message and given the location of what has been reported to be a stabbing incident with multiple casualties. everybody with a blue light is authorised to get there would have responded soon as they can. clearly because we are looking at a stabbing incident, armed officers would be expected to attend. these would be either authorised or specialist firearms officers. fortunately, just reading the merseyside police statement, it doesn't look like the man who was detained was in any way detained in any way other than safely. it was taken to a police station not a

hospital. the unknown is at the moment are high many casualties, how serious of those incidents because it is a major incident, you have hospitals on standby ready to receive any casualties. you have police officers on standby, notjust dealing with the active message on the police radio, but there will need to be a lot of community reassurance, a lot of policing. in addition to what they on county forces response teams or intervention teams dealing with the initial incident, you would imagine you would get safer neighbourhood teams answering those calls, as well. anybody with a uniform he is operational he is allowed to have general access to your equipment will be turning up at the scene, directed by notjust the gold commanders, but inspectors and

sergeants. there will be a lot of forensic evidence that will be gathered. we can expect over the course of the minutes and hours that follow, forensic sing officers to attend the scene also. the key thing that we can draw from merseyside police at the moment is that the initial incident has been neutralised. we can read into that statement that there is no wider threat to the public. now it is an evidence gathering scene for the police on side of things, but at the same time it is an emergency trauma casualty processing scene for the ambulance service and paramedics and everybody will be getting in there using their first aid skills that they have. this is, say merseyside police, a major incident. the bbc newsline page is carrying all the details that we are getting from the

scene. we would invite people not to engage in too much speculation. be very mindful of some of the talk thatis very mindful of some of the talk that is out there on social media. the bbc will keep you up—to—date on the light peach with what we do and critically what we don't know. thank ou ve critically what we don't know. thank you very much- _ critically what we don't know. thank you very much. let _ critically what we don't know. thank you very much. let me _ critically what we don't know. thank you very much. let me read - critically what we don't know. thank you very much. let me read out - critically what we don't know. thankj you very much. let me read out this merseyside police statement in full for you. they said we can confirm that emergency services are in southport following a major incident this morning. to say at around 11:50am there were culture 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 meal and sees the life and he has been taken to a police station. they have urged people to avoid the area while they deal with this incident. there is no wider threat to the public. the ambulance service has said that

there personnel are attempting multiple stabbing incident —— attending a multiple stabbing incident. let's get the latest former home correspondent, daniel sandford. , . , , ., sandford. this incident seems to have started _ sandford. this incident seems to have started just _ sandford. this incident seems to have started just before - sandford. this incident seems to have started just before middayl sandford. this incident seems to l have started just before midday on hart street in southport. we can see from images that are coming in from the scene that there is a very significant police cordoned. a significant police cordoned. a significant police cordoned. a significant police presence. it seems to be at the end of the street with the lower numbers, maybe around 20-30 hart st with the lower numbers, maybe around 20—30 hart st seems to be the centre of the police operation at the moment. and life has been seized, a man has been detained. it seems to

be multiple people affected. the ambulance service has said they have said multiple units and staff there. we are waiting to hear from the local hospitals as to what kind of response they have put up. because this is a critical incident, it is likely to be that several hospitals will be involved and that casualties will be involved and that casualties will be involved and that casualties will be taken to multiple hospitals. that is a usual scenario when a critical incident takes place. the police have said that this is a content situation, so there doesn't seem to be anybody on the loose at the moment. they feel that the operation has been contained, but it does look as if there has been some very, very serious injuries in this incident, which seems to have taken place at the low numbers and of hart street, nearto place at the low numbers and of hart street, near to the pub, for anyone

familiar with that part of southport. we have been promised that there will be more updates from the police as the afternoon develops, but at this stage they are only saying that a man has been detained and the knife has been seized. ,., . detained and the knife has been seized. . ., seized. the police later there were called at 11:50am _ seized. the police later there were called at 11:50am and _ seized. the police later there were called at 11:50am and it _ seized. the police later there were called at 11:50am and it seems - seized. the police later there were called at 11:50am and it seems thej called at 11:50am and it seems the situation was contained fairly quickly after that. it situation was contained fairly quickly after that.— quickly after that. it does. it looks like — quickly after that. it does. it looks like somebody - quickly after that. it does. it looks like somebody was - quickly after that. it does. it - looks like somebody was arrested on the property or very close to the property. the police let us know an hour after the incident took place, so they clearly felt that they had the situation under control enough to be able to say that within an hour of the incident taking place in the ambulance service again was publicising their part in the operation within an hour and a half of the operation taken place. i think there will be a little bit of a gap as we try to assess exactly what the scale of the casualties are

there. i think the police will update us on that as soon as they can. that is something that would be very quick because people will be moved at high speed to hospital and they will be ups —— assessed en route to hospital. it may take a little bit of time before it becomes clear how serious those casualties are, although there are is a suggestion that there could be fatalities. this is a very serious incident involving a knife. it seems to be contained at this stage, that is certainly the suggestion that merseyside police are saying publicly in their formal statements at the moment. yes it will be a terrible tragedy, i fear, at the moment. yes it will be a terrible tragedy, ifear, and certainly there are multiple casualties.—

certainly there are multiple casualties. ~ . , ., ., certainly there are multiple casualties. . , ., ., , casualties. we have 'ust had a first icture in. casualties. we have 'ust had a first picture in. people — casualties. we have just had a first picture in. people are _ casualties. we have just had a first picture in. people are very - casualties. we have just had a first picture in. people are very visibly l picture in. people are very visibly out on the streets behind accordingly. we are just trying to ascertain what we can see from that. i'm not sure if we can see many police officers. i'm not sure if we can see many police officers-_ i'm not sure if we can see many police officers. what you can see in the distance _ police officers. what you can see in the distance there _ police officers. what you can see in the distance there is _ police officers. what you can see in the distance there is a _ police officers. what you can see in the distance there is a group - police officers. what you can see in the distance there is a group of - the distance there is a group of ambulance and ambulance vehicles. both police vehicles and ambulance vehicles are there. the coating is there to clearly keep members of the public away. it is to reduce the numbers are people going down to the heart of the incident. that is hart street you're saying in that image. there is a bit of an industrial

estate off to the side there. it is the number is 20—30 on hart street is where that seems to be. 13 ambulance had been dispatched, along with specialised resources. they have treated eight patients with stab injuries and they have been taken to alder hey children's hospital, aintree university hospital, aintree university hospital and southport and formby hospitals. the worst has been confirmed there, that some of those injured have been taken to alder hey children's hospital and there were suggestions earlier on that we were not able to confirm, that children were among the casualties. so eight patients with stab injuries. some of whom have been taken to alder hey children's hospital. that

information _ children's hospital. that information just - children's hospital. that information just in - children's hospital. that information just in from | children's hospital. that. information just in from the children's hospital. that informationjust in from the north information just in from the north west ambulance service. eight patients have been treated at the scene so far and taken to hospitals, including alder hey children's hospital. of course, it is the school holidays and we can see from the picture and limit the number of people out on the streets and the fact that they were be lots of children around. exactly. almost all schools will have broken up last week and it will be the beginning of the holidays for many people so it wouldn't have been a quiet sleepy street as many are during school time. this will have been a busy streets just before midday on a summer's day. you can see the weather is beautiful there today. people are out in shorts and t—shirt, so when this horrible incident started, people would have been very aware of it and you can see children there on the streets in

their summer holiday clothing. i'm afraid been absolutely terrified of this incident which started at about 11:50am. they confirmed that about 11:58am about casualties and discredit a major incident that i declared it a major incident. a man is currently being held at the police station but as we were saying, unfortunately, the ambulance services are saying there were eight patients treated with stab injuries, some of whom have been taken to alder hey children's hospital and others at aintree university hospital and southport and hornby hospital, the local hospital in southport. so perhaps the most serious injuries would have been

taken there but of course some