A man with a meat cleaver has reportedly tried to set the two banks - Barclays and Santander - alight in Hull city centre.

Emergency services descended on the city centre and a number of stores were evacuated.

The man then fled to Hull Paragon Interchange, where he was Tasered by police after apparently refusing to drop the meat cleaver he was carrying, and was then arrested.

A witness says he saw the man trying to set two banks alight before being chased and arrested at Paragon Station.

This is everything we know so far.

First reports just before 1pm

The suspect is arrested in Hull paragon Interchange
The suspect is arrested in Hull paragon Interchange

Emergency services descended on Hull city centre just before 1pm on Tuesday.

Initial reports were that an armed man had tried to 'petrol bomb' two banks - Santander and Barclays - in the city centre.

FOLLOW ALL THE LATEST UPDATES IN OUR LIVE BLOG HERE.

One witness said: “He went to Santander and sprayed petrol there and set it alight.

“He then ran over to Barclays Bank and sprayed that with petrol too but he didn’t manage to set it alight.

“He was also clutching a meat cleaver and police chased him on foot and in a vehicle and arrested him at Paragon Station.

“There were a number of officers including armed police.”

What witnesses say

Ollie Wilson, 26, from Hull, was stood outside Santander when it happened.

He said: “I was stood outside Santander and this guy came running in.

“Everyone was shouting ‘get away’ and they were screaming and shouting.

Read more on Hull bank attack

“He ran out of Santander and everyone was saying ‘move back.’ He went into Barclays and threw a load of petrol on the floor and this woman came out screaming. There were flames and the next thing I knew armed police turned up. They chased him down the street and caught him near Hull Paragon.

“He was screaming and shouting something but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was crazy.

Video Loading

“This woman just came out of the bank screaming, hysterical and next thing I knew they came in with a fire extinguisher.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I’d just been to see a m

City centre on lockdown

Several stores have been evacuated and King Edward Street has been cordoned off.

Hull Paragon Interchange, where the incident came to a conclusion, is also shut off from the Ferensway entrance, with the ticket office closed and no buses leaving the station.

Trains are currently running on time, though, with passengers able to get in via Anlaby Road.

Buses are no longer calling at the interchange are stopping at other locations in the city centre.

What police say

Humberside Police have said: "Officers were called to Hull city centre this afternoon to a report that a man was carrying a bladed weapon and a container with liquid in thought to be petrol.

"The man had entered two banks on King Edward Street around 1pm and set fire to some of the liquid.

"A number of officers quickly attended along with fire crews and a small blaze was put out.

"The situation was contained very quickly by police and emergency crews and the man was arrested at Paragon Interchange. The suspect is now in custody. No one has been seriously injured.

"The public are advised to avoid the area while our investigations continue."

Chief Superintendent Phil Ward, North Bank Commander, said three people had been hurt in the incident.

“We are mindful of the public's concern that these types of incidents may be related to terrorism, however there is nothing to suggest that this is anything other than an isolated incident which has been dealt with promptly by the responding police and emergency services.

“I want to offer reassurance that our priority at all times is the safety of the public.”

Get the Hull Live app

The Hull Live app is the home of everything that's happening in Hull.

It's completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play .