High street gun alert caused by teenage girl carrying a tennis racket

A gun scare which saw a dozen armed police descend on a Worcestershire town was sparked by a girl carrying a tennis racket. A member of the public reported the girl wearing a pink T-shirt was carrying a gun through Droitwich.
The High Street was sealed off while a team of officers searched for the girl, thought to be a teenager. West Mercia Police said CCTV pictures have confirmed she was carrying a tennis racket. The force said it had been studying the footage since the incident.
Images suggest the girl, in her mid to late teens, was carrying a tennis racket and a set of tennis balls, police said. She has not been identified, a spokesperson said, but she matched the description provided by the member of the public who contacted them.
"This report was a genuine concern," the force said. "We would rather people were vigilant and we would like to thank the public for bringing the matter to our attention." It added it had "no concerns" over the way it responded to the report.