ARMED police stormed a flat they believed housed a man 'possibly armed with a crossbow'.

Officers swooped on a home in Church Street, Accrington, just after 7am on Thursday.

Shops and businesses were put on lockdown as officers closed nearby roads and evacuated the streets.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Witnesses saw officers with guns and dogs as part of the heavy police presence in the town centre area which was closed off for several hours.

A police spokesman said following further information unarmed officers went to Rhyddings Street, Oswaldtwistle, where a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill at around midday.

Lorna Grooby, owner of Cuppa Cabana café in Church Street, said the whole incident was scary.

Lancashire Telegraph:

She said: "I saw eight or nine police cars on Church Street.

"There were armed police officers and a police dog.

"One police officer came up to my shop door and told me to lock it up and don't let anyone in or anyone out.

"I was thinking about putting my customers in the basement at one point because we didn't know what was going on outside.

"I saw a police officer come out of the nearby flats with a crossbow and loads of arrows.

"It was rather frightening, we didn't know what was going on."

Lancashire Telegraph:

Another witness saw unmarked police cars and officers wearing helmets and carrying guns on the road.

Julia Broadhurst was visiting the town centre at 10am with her son.

She said: "The police officer told my son in his car to reverse and get out the way straight away.

"We didn't know what was going on, I saw police dogs, guns, it was scary.

"All the shops were evacuated and people were told to keep away.

"It looked like they went into a flat above a charity shop, I don't know what they were doing.

"They went through a little doorway and off they went."

Lancashire Telegraph:

The road had reopened and shops had returned to business at around 12.30pm, however officers were carrying on door-to-door questioning at the Rhyddings Street address.

An Alisha's Fashion staff member in Church Street said: "I was told to lock my door by a police officer and then I left and went to the market.

"I came back at around 11.30am and things had calmed down a lot.

"It's very unusual, I've never heard anything like this before around here."

Onlookers filmed police walking in and out of a wooden front door to a set of flats on their mobile phones.

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to an address on Church Street in Accrington at shortly after 7am yesterday following information that a man was inside a flat and possibly armed with a crossbow.

"Police, including armed response officers, attended the address on Church Street but following further information unarmed officers attended an address on Rhyddings Street in Oswaldtwistle where a man was arrested without incident.

"A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and is currently in custody."