The Latest: UK police say lockdown not terror-related

LONDON – The Latest on police activity at a central England shopping center: (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

A police department in central England says a reported hostage-taking incident at a bowling alley is "unconnected to any terrorist activity."

British media cited eyewitnesses at Bermuda Park, a shopping center in Nuneaton, as saying the area was locked down because a man with a shotgun had taken hostages at a bowling alley.

The Warwickshire Police department said Sunday the force was still responding to the incident. It did not confirm the reports of an armed standoff and provided no details except to say the incident was not terror-related.

The local ambulance service said an air ambulance had departed the scene and there were so far no casualties.

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5:15 p.m.

People locked inside a restaurant at a central England shopping center tell a British broadcaster they were informed about a hostage-taking incident at a nearby bowling alley.

Witness Sarah Fleming told Sky News that the restaurant first was heard about someone armed with a shotgun inside the bowling alley and "then we had notification from the police that he actually had hostages."

The restaurant was put on lockdown.

Another witness from the same restaurant, Carl Lenton, described a "quite scary" situation unfolding outside.

Lenton said: "There were police cars arriving, there was a helicopter, police dogs, armed police stood all around the bowling alley, around the outside of it," Lenton said.

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4:50 p.m.

Police in central England are warning the public to stay away from a shopping center where British media report a man with a shotgun has taken hostages at a bowling alley.

The Warwickshire Police department said on Twitter that its officers were dealing Sunday afternoon with an "ongoing incident" in Nuneaton, near the city of Birmingham. It did not provide details about the nature of the incident.

Citing an eyewitness from a nearby restaurant, Sky News says the shopping center is on lockdown. The witness, Sarah Fleming, says she had been told a man with a gun had taken an unspecified number of hostages.