Shropshire Star

Shropshire siege sees armed police surround house for 10 hours

Armed police descended on a village near Shrewsbury after a man claimed to have a gun.

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Armed police spent more than 10 hours in a Shropshire village today after a man claimed to have a gun.

A man has now been arrested and the police cordon reduced at the scene in Cross Houses, where West Mercia Police were called to a domestic incident in the early hours.

It is not yet known whether or not a gun was inside the house but police said no shots were fired.

Firearms officers were sent to the scene, around four miles south-east of Shrewsbury, after a man claimed to be in possession of a gun at 2.15am.

The initial report was to Lower Cross but officers soon surrounded a nearby house in The Chestnuts, a residential road off the A458.

The road was shut and police armed with semi-automatic weapons were stationed on the street as officers spoke with the man.

Interactive map of the area:

Police were stationed at the nearby Essar Garage and along the A458, and The Chestnuts was lined with unmarked police cars.

Superintendent Mo Lansdale said: “I’d like to thank local residents for their co-operation and patience while we dealt with this incident, there was some disruption in the area and I’m grateful for the support of people in the area.

“I know incidents such as this can cause concern and I’d like to offer my reassurance that our officers are highly trained and skilled in ensuring we bring incidents of this nature to a safe and peaceful resolution as we have today.

The A458 and surrounding roads remained open during the incident.

The outer cordon was lifted at around 12pm.

The 35-year-old man arrested at the scene is in police custody.

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