Officers have now detained a man following reports of a person seen with a shotgun near Litten Gardens in Chichester at 2pm today.

Police said in a statement: “Police officers responded to a report of a man seen with a shotgun in the vicinity of Litten Gardens, Chichester at 2pm on Friday.

“Officers have now detained a man in relation to the incident.

“As the suspect was reported to be near two schools, we worked with them to take precautions to keep pupils and staff safe while we investigated the report.

“No threats were made and no one was harmed.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while we responded to this fast moving incident.”

Lorelei Gibb posted this video footage on Twitter, which appears to show a police helicopter circling over Chichester High School earlier today.

There have been several reports of an arrest, however this has not yet been confirmed by police.

A parent whose two children attend Chichester High School said pupils were told the school was on lockdown at about 3.08pm today before they were released at about 3.35pm.

The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Independent teachers informed the pupils about the lockdown but “they didn’t know why”.

Pupils were then reportedly given permission to use their mobile phones, at which point the parent’s daughter sent her a text message.

She said her children told her some of the pupils were “quite shaken up” by the incident.

Chichester Police put out this statement on their Twitter page at about 4pm today:

“We’re responding to a report of a man seen with a suspected weapon in the vicinity of Litten Gardens.

“Enquiries to locate the suspect are underway – please avoid the area.

“We’re working with local schools to take safety precautions while we investigate this report.”

At least two schools in the area – Chichester High School and Portfield Primary Academy – were locked down earlier today but children have now been sent home.

The deputy head teacher of Chichester High School sent parents and carers this update at about 3.15pm today:

We have now let students leave the school site. This follows confirmation from Sussex Police that it is safe for children to travel home. The Police advice is that students go straight home.

Please do not ring the school so that our phone lines can remain clear.

This was not an incident linked to Chichester High School but the wider Chichester area.

Thank you for your support. As we know more we will update you as appropriate.

Good afternoon, armed police are responding to reports of a man seen with a weapon in Chichester.

We’ll be bringing you live updates as we get them.