ARMED police have detained a man and seized a knife after a number of people were injured in a reported stabbing in Southport.

At around 11.50am, police were called to a property on Hart Street to reports of a stabbing.

There are a number of reported casualties and it is understood that a child has since died.

Armed police have detained a male and seized a knife. He has been taken to a police station.

Police ask people to please avoid the area while they deal with this incident. There is no wider threat to the public, police say.

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said its paramedics were responding to reports of “multiple stabbings” in Southport. Eight patients are reported to have have been treated for “stab injuries”, in what Alder Hey Children's Hospital has described as a "major incident".

An NWAS statement on social media said: “We’re attending a major incident on Hart Street, Southport following reports of multiple stabbings in which we have dispatched multiple resources.

“We’re assessing the situation and working with emergency partners."

"Child dead following the attack"

Norwood councillor Greg Myers said he had attended the scene in Southport where a police officer had told him a child had died following the attack on Hart Street.

When asked if he could confirm the death of a child, Mr Myers told the PA news agency: “That is my understanding of the situation.”

One of the events listed at The Hart Space at the time of the stabbings was a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class for children in school years two to six, aged between six and 11.