12 February 2025 , 06:31
465
0
Road closures have reduced in Sheffield city centre while specialist officers continue to negotiate with an armed man.
Residents of The Gateway block of flats have been told to take refuge at the Ponds Forge Sports centre while students in a nearby halls of residence were ordered to stay inside.
The situation started to unfold shortly after 7pm on Monday.
Video from the scene on Tuesday shows officers stood on a flat balcony below the top floor.
A local resident who lives in The Gateway block of flats told Metro on Tuesday: ‘At the time it was frightening. I had a police officer come around banging on my door around 8pm yesterday, telling us we need to “evacuate now”.
‘I started to gather some stuff and she really highlighted the fact we have to leave “now”. I couldn’t even get the cats out.
‘All the police who have been supporting us so far have been lovely and friendly towards us too.
‘So far the staff at Ponds Forge have been absolutely fantastic to us, providing us with water and food. We had beds delivered around 4am this morning.
‘We’ve been moved into a hotel now which is obviously nicer.’
While South Yorkshire Police have reduced their cordon, reopening the Sheffield Parkway and allowing public transport to run as normal again, they are still negotiating with the man in the flat.
Their latest update, issued just after 3am on Wednesday, confirmed other residents of the block of flats are still unable to return to their homes.
The force also said it was working with residents to either care for or reunite them with any pets in the building.
A spokesperson said: ‘Our officers remain on scene at an incident in Broad Street in Sheffield, but we are now in a position to reduce the cordon to our work and re-open major roads.
‘Although roads have re-opened, our work to negotiate with the man continues.
‘We continue to thank you for your ongoing support and co-operation during this challenging time.’
Emergency services are seen outside the block of flats (Picture: LNP)
People were evacuated from the building by police (Picture: LNP)
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, police said: ‘We understand the disruption and impact this incident is having on our communities, those affected by the evacuation, roads closures and those concerned for loved ones in the area.
‘Our aim is to bring the incident to a close safely and get everyone and their families back to their homes as soon as possible.’
During the cordon in which Sheffield Parkway was blocked, commuters were advised to avoid the area.
People complained about heavy traffic especially during rush hour, with some saying it took them three hours to get to work on Tuesday.
The tram network was also affected, but is now running as normal again.