Lewisham High Street closed due to ongoing police incident
Lewisham High Street has been closed with police on scene due to an ongoing incident.
A man has been seen waving a knife from an upstairs window near the clocktower.
UPDATE: Speculation on social media has suggested a hostage situation. The Met Police say there’s no evidence for that.
Others have claimed a bank robbery at HSBC beforehand opposite the site. HSBC have stated that is not correct.
The incident is a short distance from Lewisham police station. Armed officers have been seen pointing firearms at the premises.
Buses are severely disrupted. TfL state:
Due to an emergency services incident, ROUTES 47 54 75 89 122 136 178 181 185 199 208 225 261 273 284 321 484 P4 are subject to diversion.
Police have also released a statement:
“Police were called to a disturbance on Lewisham High Street, at around 10:45hrs on Monday, 10 February.
“Officers are currently in attendance at the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade.
“We are speaking to a man inside an address at the location. Enquiries are ongoing to establish whether anyone else is inside the property.
I hope the incident been brought to a satisfactory conclusion for everyone concerned including the Police Officers, Ambulance staff and fireman at the scene.
This was a very serious incident. So a huge thank you to our emergency services personnel.