Sunderland schools go into lockdown after reports of man with weapon
Northumbria Police officers were called to the scene
A number of schools in the Sunderland area went into lockdown this morning after receiving reports of a man with a weapon.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Just before 9am today (Wednesday), we received a report of suspicious activity in the Millfield area of Sunderland.
“It was reported that a man had been sighted on Well Street carrying a suspected weapon.
“Officers attended and located a man matching the description provided. However, no weapon was found on the individual.
“While the report was made in good faith, no offences were found to have been committed.
“A decision was made by some of the schools in the nearby area to go into a voluntary lockdown for precautionary measures, which ended a short time later.”
Diamond Hall Junior and Infant academies are on Well Street.
A spokesperson for North East Learning Trust, which governs Diamond Hall Junior Academy, said: “At the beginning of the school day, we were advised by the police to lock down our school due to a local incident nearby, which has now been resolved.
“The safety of pupils is our number one priority and therefore we followed lockdown protocol. Parents and carers were kept updated throughout the situation and once police confirmed it was safe to do so, normal school procedures resumed.”