Police respond after man reportedly seen with axe prompts lockdown at Liverpool schools

Police Provide Update Following School Lockdowns in Liverpool After Axe Report

Merseyside Police have issued a statement following an incident that led to several schools in Speke, Liverpool, being placed into lockdown. The response was triggered by a report received around 2:45 PM on Tuesday, September 30, of a man allegedly seen carrying an axe in a field near Central Way.

The Liverpool Echo received multiple reports suggesting that Middlefield Community Primary School on Alder Wood Avenue was among the schools affected. Police later confirmed that several schools in the area had enacted lockdown procedures as a precaution.

Further reports from children in the area indicated that the man may have been chopping down a tree on Oldbridge Road. In an update released on Wednesday, October 1, Merseyside Police stated that patrols conducted a thorough search of the area but did not locate the individual.

Upon speaking with the original informant, police learned that the report was based on third-hand information from an unknown source, and the witness had not seen the individual themselves.

The police statement concluded: “It is believed a man may have been in the area cutting down a tree. There is no suggestion of any criminal offences committed. Reassurance was given to schools in the local area.”