A number of schools were placed in lockdown this afternoon after reports of 'man with a firearm' in a UK town.

Police confirmed they were called to Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan following reports of a suspicious male carrying a gun in the town centre at around 3.15pm. It is understood a number of local schools were placed into lockdown safety procedures, with pupils kept inside.

Byrchall High School, Cansfield, and St Oswald’s RC Primary, were among the schools subjected to the emergency measures. According to people in the area, local shops close to the scene were also closed temporarily this afternoon.

A parent of a child attending one of the schools affected told Manchester Evening News that "nobody could get near the school" with students "hiding inside" amid the large police re

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