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'Armed' police at incident at Meridian Tower in Swansea | |
(35 minutes later) | |
People are being asked to stay away from the Meridian Tower in Swansea Marina as police, reported to be armed, deal with an incident. | |
Trawler Road and Dunvant Place have been closed off at the bottom of the building which is the tallest residential one in Wales. | |
A police helicopter has been deployed to the area. | A police helicopter has been deployed to the area. |
An eye witness who lives in the tower said he saw armed police and paramedics in helmets going inside. | |
Jason Hole said he was told by police to stay in his flat and not leave. | |
"We're not allowed to leave as apparently there is a gunman upstairs," he told BBC Radio Wales. | |
"The whole marina is a cordoned off. There are about 15 police cars and there was a helicopter earlier and armed police are trying to negotiate. | |
"I went downstairs to leave as I was going back to work and they told us I had to back up the flat because there was a gunman upstairs, or someone had gone into the restaurant with a gun and they'd had to evacuate the building." | |
The Welsh Ambulance Service said they were called to an incident at the building at 16:09 BST. | The Welsh Ambulance Service said they were called to an incident at the building at 16:09 BST. |
An ambulance rapid response vehicle and a hazardous area response team are at the scene. | An ambulance rapid response vehicle and a hazardous area response team are at the scene. |
South Wales Police said in a statement that the public were encouraged to avoid the area until further notice. | |
The Grape and Olive restaurant which is at the top of the tower tweeted: "Restaurant closed due to incident all bookings cancelled sorry for any inconvenience". | |
Eyewitness Mathew Wilkins said he was first aware of the incident when he heard the police helicopter overhead. | Eyewitness Mathew Wilkins said he was first aware of the incident when he heard the police helicopter overhead. |
"At about quarter to five I could hear the helicopter overhead, and then five or ten minutes later it came back again so I took a video of it. I saw three police cars going past and a van and I wondered if the city would be put into lockdown," he said. | "At about quarter to five I could hear the helicopter overhead, and then five or ten minutes later it came back again so I took a video of it. I saw three police cars going past and a van and I wondered if the city would be put into lockdown," he said. |
"I was looking up and down to see if the traffic was moving and then I saw what I thought was an armed response vehicle flying towards the scene. I have seen an ambulance coming from the area." | "I was looking up and down to see if the traffic was moving and then I saw what I thought was an armed response vehicle flying towards the scene. I have seen an ambulance coming from the area." |
At 90m (300ft), the tower has become a landmark on the city's skyline since completion in 2009. | |
The Grape and Olive restaurant on the top three floors of the tower has panoramic views over the city and out across the Bristol Channel and Brecon Beacons. |