Police and ambulances attend incident in Watford town centre

Numerous paramedics and police officers were called to Watford town centre this afternoon.

There has been a heavy emergency presence in the High Street, with a number of emergency vehicles parked up outside Atria Watford shopping centre opposite McDonald's.

Police have told the Observer they were called to reports of a man who had suffered "serious injuries".

A spokesperson has not given any further details of how the injuries occurred, but said there is "not currently believed to have been any third party involvement in the incident". 

Emergency services were called at 2.40pm.

Photos sent into the Observer showed a large number of police vehicles, some unmarked, dotted around the High Street, with at least three ambulances also in attendance.

The scene in Watford town centre this afternoon

Emergency presence in town centre looking towards one of the entrances to Atria Watford shopping centre. Credit: Ashley Hazelwood

Some reports on social media suggest forensic officers have also been spotted while a person told us they saw police carrying out door-to-door enquiries.

The High Street was closed to all traffic, including buses, although it remained open to pedestrians.

Watford  High St is currently blocked by a police incident, route 306 cannot serve stop F at this time.

— Sullivan Buses (@Sullivanbuses) March 27, 2021

However, there is understood to be limited access to some parts of Atria Watford, while shoppers were reportedly blocked from passing through Queens Road and the shopping centre by Primark.

A member of the public, who was in town as emergency services started arriving, told the Observer: "I was about to leave M&S to go into the (shopping) centre when a bunch of security and M&S staff rushed around looking shocked.

"They stopped people leaving that exit and said we needed to leave by the exit onto the street. An M&S first aider was being ushered to the front of the store clutching a first aid bag.

"I left M&S by the rear exit and an ambulance was just arriving with an unmarked police car with its lights on escorting it in. There were already three other police cars and a police van present at this point."

A part of the town has been closed off to traffic. Credit: Ashley Hazelwood

They added: "I popped into Tesco and came out less than ten minutes later to the fully cordoned off area, nine police cars, a police van, two ambulances and a paramedic car."

Police say enquiries are ongoing and are providing no further comment at this time.