Police warn public away from central England shopping center

LONDON – 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.