Live updates as Aberfan serious assault puts schools in lockdown

Armed police have swooped on the Welsh village of Aberfan after what is being described by police as a "serious assault". One person has been taken to hospital following the incident and schools and community centres are currently locked down. There is a major emergency services presence and police are telling people to avoid the area.

Officers responded to the incident on Moy Road in Aberfan just before 9.10am on Tuesday morning, South Wales Police has said. The incident is on-going and a spokesperson for South Wales Police said: "Emergency services are responding to [a] serious assault that took place on Moy Road, Aberfan, Merthyr just before 9.10am this morning. Armed officers are in the area, and we request that people avoid the area so that we can effectively deal with this incident."

A spokesperson for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: "We were called today (05 Dec), at approximately 9:10am, to reports of an incident in Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil. We sent one emergency ambulance, one air ambulance and one Cymru High Acuity Response unit to the scene where advanced critical care support was delivered by the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service. We conveyed one patient by road to University Hospital Of Wales, Cardiff for further treatment."

The area's MP, Gerald Jones, said: "I have spoken to police regarding a serious incident in Aberfan this morning. You may see an increased police presence in the area and I’d encourage everyone to co-operate with police officers as they deal with the incident." And the area's MS Dawn Bowden said: "I am aware of a serious incident in Aberfan this morning. I have spoken to the police and will await further information from them. However, please take advice given by the police