Sefton Council’s Leader responds to incident in Southport

Councillor Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened at the tragic events, which unfolded earlier today.

“Our thoughts are with all the victims of this attack and their families.

“I’d like to thank all those who responded to the incident and helped in any way they could in what must have been extremely difficult circumstances.

“We know this has caused concern and upset in the local community and while there is no immediate threat to the public we will be providing help and support in the coming days and weeks.

“We are working closely with our partners, including the police, and further updates will be issued in due course. We’d ask people not to speculate on social media as this may hamper the investigation and any future court proceedings and provide further distress to those affected.”