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Eight people including children have been rushed to hospital after being injured in a stabbing attack in Southport, with police called to a Taylor Swift themed dance workshop.
Armed police have detained a man and seized a knife, with one eyewitness saying the incident was like “a scene from a horror movie”.
A local business owner, who was one of the people who called the police, said he believed six or seven “young girls” had been stabbed.
Colin Parry, owner of Masters Vehicle Body Repairs on Hart Street, said: “The mothers are coming here now and screaming.
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“It is like a scene from a horror movie.” He added: “Police have got him. It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport.”
Eye-witness Bare Varathan, 35, who owns a corner shop on Hart Street, said he was called by a staff member who told him, “Boss, get to the shop!” He said: “I saw seven to ten kids outside the nursery. They were injured, bleeding. They were in the road, running from the nursery.
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“They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere. (Mr Varathan indicated the neck, back and chest area). They were all aged about ten. One of them was really seriously injured.”
He added that emergency services descended upon the scene, and that the suspect had reportedly arrived in a taxi with a knife.
In distressing scenes, one local resident recalled seeing a mother hysterically screaming for help as children were being treated on the floor by paramedics. He said: “She was screaming ‘my daughter’s been stabbed’.
“The woman was in hysterics. Then two police cars rushed up the street the other way. It was a mum with her 10-year-old daughter who had been stabbed.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, North West Ambulance Service said they received an emergency call at 11.48am to report multiple stabbings.
They added: “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.”
In a statement, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital confirmed they were dealing with a major incident, and warned parents to avoid bringing their children to the emergency department unless it was urgent.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the incident was “horrendous and deeply shocking” and thanks emergency services for their swift response.
A local parent, who did not wish to be named, said his daughter was “traumatised” by the attack. He said: “My daughter was in it and she was traumatised. She ran away and she’s safe.”
One woman who lives nearby told the Liverpool Echo newspaper that residents had warned each other on Whatsapp groups to lock their windows and doors following reports of a man “running around stabbing people.”
She said: “It was about 20 past 12 I think and we heard loads of sirens and then there was a helicopter circling above.
“Then the messages started to go around the local WhatsApp groups, saying ‘lock your windows, lock your doors’, we were told a man was running around stabbing people.”
“We are all absolutely terrified, panicking and sick with worry – everyone is trying to reach anyone they know in the area. I don’t know how this can happen on a Monday lunchtime.”
Leigh Walton, who owns Yates Motor Engineers, told Sky News he could see the aftermath of the stabbings from his garage.
He said: “The first thing I knew was all the sirens going up and down the street, I could hear something major had happened. Then the police helicopters and multiple air ambulances, you could just tell it was something big, something major.”
In a statement, 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.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “deeply concerned” about the “very serious incident” in Southport after reports of multiple stabbings.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley also voiced his concerns and urged people to continue avoiding the area to allow the police to continue their work.
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