Arrests as armed police raid flats in Oswestry town centre
Oswestry town centre was brought to a standstill as armed police raided a block of flats this afternoon.
Armed and plain-clothed police officers targeted Queens Flats on Oswald Road during the raid, which started at around 12.40pm.
A spokeswoman for West Mercia Police confirmed two people were arrested for firearms offences.
In total around ten armed officers along with police dogs entered the block of flats near The Cross, next to Martin Britten's Club House, after unmarked police cars pulled up on pavements nearby.
Two armed police officers remained stationed with their guns trained on the property, while a further armed officer was positioned near the Iceland supermarket.
Two marked police cars were placed further down Oswald Road, which was shut to pedestrians and cars.
Pedestrians were told to stay away from the area as crowds began to gather, but officers soon left the building and departed the scene.
The road closure caused disruption to traffic coming into the town for a short period, however Leg Street remained open and Oswald Road was only shut for around 30 minutes.
Oswestry Mayor Sandy Best was relieved the drama was over quickly.
"It is good to see there was a police presence and the matter was resolved," she said.
"It is not a situation we want to see and I hope we don't see things like other places where there has been rises in firearms and knife crime.
"I am just pleased it was resolved quickly."
West Mercia Police spokeswoman Lucy Kelly said: "At approximately 12.40pm this afternoon, Thursday September 6, officers from West Mercia Police conducted a firearms operations in Oswestry town centre.
"Two people were subsequently arrested for firearms offences."
