Terrified pupils at a Southampton school were left cowering under their desks after reports of a knifeman roaming nearby sent the building into lockdown. Pupils at St Mark’s C of E School, who range in age from 4 to 16, were told to take the emergency precautions after receiving reports of a man armed with two knives walking nearby.

Parents were also reported to have been locked inside the building as the situation unfolded, with the lockdown being signalled by an eerie tannoy announcement. Hampshire Police say a 44-year-old man has been arrested and the emergency precautions in the school have since been lifted. Officers added that there were no reports of injuries following the frightening incident.

The lockdown order began at around 3.20pm when the man was reportedly seen holding the two knives in a nearby road.

One parent who was stuck inside the school told the Southern Daily Echo: "It is madness.

"The kids are hiding under tables and there is a tannoy going 'lockdown'.

"A lockdown like this is not good for the mental health of the kids. It is a bit bizarre."

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: "We received a number of reports at around 3pm on Monday 24 March that a man carrying two knives had been seen walking in Malmesbury Road, Southampton.

"Officers attended and arrested a 44-year-old man, who is currently in police custody.

"We have no reports of injuries in relation to this incident."

The incident is the latest in a series of horrifying incidents around schools in recent months.

Last month a primary school in Swindon was evacuated and a 200m perimeter installed after reports of a “malicious threat."

The school, which accommodated 265 pupils between the ages of three and 11, posted on Facebook to ask parents to collect their children from Biddestone Ave on the corner on Belcombe close a short while later.

A spokesperson for Swindon Police said: "We are currently responding to a report of a malicious threat at Badbury Park Primary School in Rainscombe Road, Swindon.

"Specialist officers are on the scene, and the school has followed its emergency evacuation plans as a precaution. A 200-metre cordon has been set up around the school. We will issue a further update when appropriate."