A school in Manchester was plunged into lockdown this morning, with police descending on the academy after a water pistol was reportedly mistaken for a firearm.
Students at Cedar Mount Academy on Wembley Road in Gorton Education Village were told to remain in their classrooms, with eyewitnesses claiming alarms were heard from the school.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed they are in attendance and that a ‘threat’ was made to the school, but have not yet confirmed the water pistol claim.
According to Manchester Evening News, an officer at the scene told worried parents, who were standing outside, that a ‘water pistol’ had been fired at a child.
He said there were no injuries and it was ‘just two kids messing around with a water pellet gun’, adding they ‘don’t believe there’s any risk to the children at this moment in time’.
The report made to the police said there was a child ‘with a firearm’, which is what prompted the school to go into lockdown and police to rush to the scene, he said.
A spokesperson for Cedar Mount Academy said a call they received ‘from an external source not connected to the school’ was confirmed to be a ‘hoax’.
They said: ‘We are aware of inaccurate reports circulating online.
Students at Cedar Mount Academy on Wembley Road in Gorton Education Village have reportedly been told to remain in their classrooms, with eyewitnesses claiming alarms could be heard from the school
However, according to Manchester Evening News, an officer at the scene told worried parents, who were standing outside, that a ‘water pistol’ had been fired at a child
The report made to the police said there was a child ‘with a firearm’, which is what prompted the school to go into lockdown and police to rush to the scene
‘Following a call confirmed by police to be a hoax from an external source not connected to the school, emergency services attended Cedar Mount Academy on Thursday morning as a precaution.
‘The situation was resolved safely. The safety and well-being of our school community remains our highest priority.’
Two police cars and a van have been seen parked outside the school.
A spokesperson from GMP said: ‘Officers are at Cedar Mount Academy in Gorton after they alerted us to a reported threat made to the school.
‘We’ve responded and identified no ongoing risk or threat to anyone in the school.
‘We’re remaining at the school to provide reassurance as we start to investigate the circumstances behind the reported threat.’
This is a breaking news story… More to follow.
