Three Rivers Academy, Three Rivers Primary School and Toad Hall Nursery placed themselves into lockdown after reports of a person armed with a weapon
Three schools in Surrey were locked down after a person was allegedly seen armed with a weapon near the premises.
Police, including armed officers, were called to Bell Farm Way in Hersham at 3pm today, with road closures also put in place. Three Rivers Academy, and nearby Three Rivers Primary School and Toad Hall Nursery all placed themselves into lockdown due to the reports.
Three Rivers Academy instigated a temporary lockdown procedure as a precaution to safeguard staff and students. A statement on the school’s website at the time of the lockdown read: “We are currently in lockdown by instruction from the police due to an outside incident. All students inside school are safe.”
The lockdown has now been lifted and all students have been allowed to go home. Lockdown conditions at Three Rivers Primary School and Toad Hall Nursery have also been lifted and staff and children have left both sites, Surrey Police said.
Officers were on scene within eight minutes of the 999 call and two 18-year-old men were arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. Both suspects remain in police custody.
Elmbridge Borough Commander Inspector Chris Thoday said: “We take any report of this nature extremely seriously and had officers at the scene within minutes.
“The school and other education facilities nearby also quickly instigated their well-prepared safeguarding plans to ensure the safety of pupils and staff. We fully understand how concerning incidents like this are for our community and our investigation into the circumstances continues.
“Anyone with information which could assist us is asked to contact police if they have not already been spoken to.”
