Schools went into lockdown with children said to have been stuck in a leisure centre for hours after a report of a gunman roaming nearby.
Pupils were said to be ‘hysterical and sobbing’ and unable to call their parents as teachers took security precautions.
Armed police attended the area in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, following the report of a man with a gun this morning.
Officers with dogs and using patrol cars conducted a search as schools were temporarily placed in lockdown.
The hunt is continuing with the suspect not yet detained.
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The Regis School, which is next to the Arena Sports Centre in the coastal town, was the main place of learning affected.
The secondary 11-18 academy, which has close to 1,600 pupils, kept children inside the centre during the incident.
Sara Whitworth, who has two children at the school, told The Sun: ‘The whole school has just been placed in full lockdown.
‘I have gone down to collect my children and they are just hysterical. I have never witnessed anything like that.
‘There are children in the leisure centre next door who were stuck in there for two or three hours.
‘There are children climbing over fences to get out.’
She added: ‘Kids are trying to call their parents and then being told off for using their phones. It has just been so poorly managed.
‘There are dogs and probably five police cars in the car park. It is just carnage. Parents are now turning up to pick up their children. My daughter was just hysterical and sobbing.’
Another parent said on Facebook: ‘My daughter is in year 7 she is with me safe but very shaken.’
Other parents spoke of a calm response from the school and the police as the incident unfolded.
One said: ‘I was there collecting my daughter.
‘It wasn’t evacuated as such. It went into lockdown as a safety precaution as a man was seen with a firearm. So they shut the school but parents could collect their kids. Like I did. Police were present and at other schools too. Nobody was stabbed nobody hurt.’
Sussex Police told Metro: ‘At around 11.10am today police received a report of a man seen with a suspected firearm in Frith Road, Bognor.
‘Due to the close proximity of nearby schools, police advised them to implement temporary lockdown procedures while searches of the area were carried out. All schools have since reopened.
‘Wider search activity, including armed officers, is ongoing, and a visible police presence continues in the area.’
Regis School praised students and staff for their reactions.
A spokeswoman said: ‘Earlier today the police informed us of a live incident in the local community and asked us to put in place our standard procedures for such times.
‘To reassure parents, the incident was not school-related and we were able to continue to operate a normal school day.
‘As you would hope and expect, students behaved perfectly throughout this time, and I would like to thank staff for their leadership and support.
‘The wellbeing of our students is our highest priority, and we will always follow the advice of the emergency services when requested.’
Anyone with information or footage that may assist the investigation is asked to contact police online or by calling 101, quoting reference 450 of 22/10. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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