Shrewsbury Tesco Extra: Report of gunman on roof sparks armed response - BBC News
The police helicopter was deployed during a search near a Tesco Extra in Shrewsbury.
The cordon has now been lifted

Armed police were deployed in Shrewsbury after a report of a man with a firearm on the roof of a Tesco supermarket.

West Mercia Police said it received a call at about 16:00 GMT that an armed man was on the Tesco Extra on Battlefield Road.

The police helicopter was sent out and a cordon was in place while a search of the area was carried out.

Police said no-one was found but the call was "made in good faith".

Supt Jim Baker said they took "all reports involving firearms incredibly seriously" and armed officers were deployed to carry out a search of the area.

"An extensive search has been carried out by officers on the ground, the police helicopter and a fire and rescue service drone and we're satisfied the call was made in good faith and have been able to discount the information we initially acted on," he said.

He thanked the public for their patience during the disruption the search caused.

Writing on Twitter, Paul Fulgoni said he saw "at least 10 armed police" as well as a helicopter. He said all of Battlefield had been cordoned off, including McDonald's, Frankie & Benny's and the residential estates.

The supermarket, which was sealed off for about three hours, has since reopened.

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