Lewisham High Street reopened after man “safely detained” by police

Lewisham High Street has been reopened after a man was seen waving a knife from a flat window leading to a total lockdown of the area by police yesterday morning.

Videos published on social media showed a man waving a knife outside a window on the third floor of a property, as he is seen yelling to people on the road.

Police, London Ambulance Service crews and the London Fire Brigade all attended the scene from around 10.45am.

Images posted on social media showed armed police surrounding the HSBC bank, with the area cordoned off by police tape.

A cordon remained in place for nearly 15 hours until officers entered the property at around 1.55am this morning.

A man was “safely detained” and taken to hospital, the Met said.

Lewisham council has now confirmed that all cordons have been lifted, with residents able to return home and the road reopened.

The incident triggered heavy traffic in the area, with congestion going half a mile back down Lee High Road yesterday afternoon.

A HSBC spokesman confirmed the incident did not take place inside the HSBC branch and no staff or customers were involved.

Pictured top: Images from the scene show armed officers surrounding a HSBC bank in Lewisham High Street, with the area cordoned off by police tape (Picture: Tik Tok)