AN UPDATE has been provided after armed police were yesterday called out after a man armed with a longbow was spotted running through gardens in Stroud.

Police arrested a 37-year-old man after the incident on Monday morning which put the Weavers Croft health centre in Field Road into a temporary lockdown and saw officers also called to an area near Waitrose.

Armed officers attended and a 37-year-old man was arrested around 9.35am on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in connection with the incident.

He was taken into police custody for questioning and was later charged, with the man due to appear in court this morning. 

Police said a longbow and several arrows were recovered from an address.

Officers were called to London Road, Stroud after reports that a man with a longbow and arrows was trying to force entry to a property shortly before 6am and had then fled.

Police attended assisted by a dog handler but the suspect was not located.

However, shortly before 8.30am police were called again after a man believed to be the suspect was seen running through gardens in Castle Rise, London Road, Castle Street, Lower Street and Spring Lane.

Armed officers attended and a 37-year-old man was arrested around 9.35am on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in connection with the incident.

He was taken into police custody for questioning and was later charged.

Police said a longbow and several arrows were recovered from an address.

The man was due to appear in court yesterday, Tuesday morning.

Weavers Croft was placed into lockdown at 9.50am for around 20 minutes during the incident.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the specialist mental health centre, said: “The lockdown was purely a precautionary measure.  “No one was harmed and we would like to thank colleagues who reacted swiftly to the situation.”

Police have issued an appeal for information and want to hear from anyone who saw what happened or from anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage which could help the investigation.

Information can be provided by completing a form on the Gloucestershire police website quoting incident 69 of June 24.