Nottinghamshire Police are maintaining a cordon after responding to reports of “a man acting suspiciously” at in the Spot On snooker club in Hucknall around 2.40pm.
Staff at nearby businesses were told to lock their doors, while local residents who are unable to access their homes are advised to find alternative temporary accommodation or attend Hucknall Leisure Centre while the incident continues.
Locked in
Manager of Byron Bingo in the High Street, Tim Sperry, said his customers told him the man in the snooker club had a gun.
“There’s a guy in the snooker hall with a gun and he’s said that the only way he’ll come out is shooting,” he said.
“So at the moment, there are about seven armed police stood outside the bingo hall in body armour, helmets and carrying sub machine guns and they’re telling us to stay inside and lock the doors.
“I’d say in total there are about 30 police officers here and they’ve got what looks like an armoured car blocking off Duke Street. “I’m in here with four staff and a customer.”
There’s a guy in the snooker hall with a gun and he’s said that the only way he’ll come out is shooting Tim Sperry
Mr Sperry added that he first realised something was going on when he was returning from the town centre’s Post Office and spotted a police officer in the middle of the High Street turning traffic away.
“We can’t see what’s going on at the snooker hall from here, and the police aren’t telling us what’s going on.”
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman confirmed: “Officers are continuing to maintain a cordon in the Hucknall area.”
“Armed officers are at the scene and members of the public are advised to remain indoors and avoid the area wherever possible.”