Coventry: Police cordon off street following incident

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Local reports say officers were first called to a welfare check at a house on Earlsdon Avenue North in the early hours of Sunday morning. A 41-year-old man has refused to leave the property since.

In an update last night, West Midlands police said that a cordon remains in place on the street as officers continue to talk to the occupant.

The man is “believed to be armed with weapons” and has his son with him, the force said.

It added: “Our priority is the safety of those involved which includes residents who live within the cordon’s perimeter.”

Police have issued guidance to residents nearby on what to do wishing to leave or enter their properties.

Chief Superintendent Pete Henrick, Coventry Police Commander, said: “We understand that this situation is deeply worrying for some local residents and we want to reassure them that we are doing everything we can to bring it to a safe conclusion.

“I ask that people bear with us as specialist officers remain at the scene.”

According to CoventryLive, police negotiators were at the scene on Monday and were heard shouting up to the man.

Nearby Earlsdon Primary School remains closed for the second day running over safety concerns, with pupils reverting to at-home learning.

It said in a statement on Monday: “Due to the ongoing incident in Earlsdon, we have been instructed to keep the school closed and provide remote learning for the children tomorrow.

“We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this causes and we would like to thank families and staff for their support at this time.”

The area where the cordon is in place sits to the south-west of Coventry city centre.

Laura Emily Bush shared her experience from inside the cordon on Twitter.

She said yesterday: “8-year-old inside must be terrified. We still aren’t allowed out our houses in the cordon area. Never seen anything like it.”

One couple who live next to the property involved, who wished to remain anonymous, told CoventryLive: “It has been quite hard, [my partner] tried to go out yesterday to get essentials, he managed to get out but they wouldn’t let him back in… he managed to get back in but it took a while.

“As of this morning we have been told to stay in the house altogether.”

She added: “It was very broken sleep last night, it’s worrying for the young lad [involved].

“We just hope for a peaceful end to it, sooner rather than later.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called to an incident on Earlsdon Avenue North at 11.29am on Sunday, a paramedic officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team attended the scene.

“We were not required to treat any patients whilst in attendance and were later stood down.”

Earlsdon Library has been opened for residents who may not be able to access their homes.

More to follow…

Additional reporting by Paul Suart, Ben Eccleston and Naomi de Souza

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