Armed police called to incident at Tesco Extra, Shrewsbury

Armed Police attended an incident at Tesco Extra in Shrewsbury on Saturday afternoon, following reports of a man on the roof of the store with a firearm.

At around 4pm officers, including armed officers and the police helicopter, attended the store on Battlefield Road and a cordon was put in place including the closure of local roads whilst a search of the area took place.

West Mercia Police says the search has now been completed and it is believed the call was made in good faith.

Tesco Extra has since reopened.

Superintendent Jim Baker said: “We take all reports involving firearms incredibly seriously and as such armed officers were deployed to the area and a cordon put in place.

“An extensive search has been carried out by officers on the ground, the police helicopter and a fire and rescue service drone and we’re satisfied the call was made in good faith and have been able to discount the information we initially acted on.

“I’d like to thank members of the public as there was an increased police presence in the area with some disruption to local residents. The cordon has now been lifted however regular patrols will continue to be carried out in the area to offer reassurance to the local community.”