Staffordshire school locked down as armed police arrest man with air rifle
A man was arrested after being found with an air rifle close to a school in South Staffordshire.
Perton Middle School, which has around 300 pupils, was alerted to the suspicious behaviour by police, who sent armed and unarmed police to Dippons Lane at 9.50am.
A man was stopped in Gainsborough Drive and an air rifle was recovered.
The 55-year-old from Wolverhampton was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in police custody.
Alun Harding, executive headteacher at the Gainsborough Drive school, said: "We received advice from police along with two other local schools of a male behaving suspiciously within the local area and to follow our lockdown procedure.
"We implemented our lockdown procedure which went incredibly well, students and staff were fantastic."
Under the lockdown, pupils and staff were taken to and had to remain in form rooms and school entrances made secure.
In a letter to parents, Mr Harding added: "A short while later we received confirmation from the police that a man had been arrested and that the children and staff were safe and able to go about the normal business of the school day."
