Police negotiate with knife man inside Bognor's Royal Norfolk Hotel

At about 9.28am on Sussex Police received a report of a man in distress, who was in possession of a knife, at the Royal Norfolk Hotel.

A specialist negotiator has been called in to assist and the incident remains ongoing.

In order to protect police and the public, a cordon has been set up in the immediate area.

See pictures from the scene here: Armed police in Bognor: pictures from the sceneSuperintendent Justin Burtenshaw said: “I’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we continue to respond to this ongoing incident. Please continue to adhere to the government’s guidelines on social distancing, and avoid The Esplanade in particular.

“Due to the nature of the incident, the public can expect to see a heightened police presence in the area.

“This is an isolated incident contained to one property, and we have no information at this stage to suggest anyone else is inside, or that there is any threat to the wider community.”

We will release any updates on this website as soon as we are in a position to do so.