Eastbourne school put into lockdown due to suspected firearm threat

The Eastbourne Academy was put into lockdown by Sussex Police following reports of two youths on the premises in which one of them may be been in possession of a firearm.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “Yesterday afternoon, two youths attended reception at The Eastbourne Academy. It was quickly established they are not pupils at the school and they were escorted off site without issue.

"It later emerged one of them may have been in possession of a suspected firearm, which was reported to police.

"Due to the nature of the incident and in the interests of everyone’s safety, we advised the school to lockdown while our officers promptly responded to the scene.

"Two people matching the description of the suspects were swiftly detained in nearby Lindfield Road. They were searched but not found to be in possession of any weapons.

"A 14-year-old boy from Polegate and a 14-year-old boy from Newhaven, arrested on suspicion of causing a nuisance or disturbance on school premises, have been released on conditional bail until 9 January, as enquiries continue.

"In the meantime, we are keen to hear from anyone with any information about the incident. You can report it online or call 101, quoting serial 811 of 12/12.

"We appreciate the alarm this incident may have caused, but would like to reassure the community that no one was harmed. An officer will be attending the school today for further reassurance.”