Liverpool parade incident: Suspect arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drug driving, no deaths reported

Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the force believe the car which struck pedestrians was able to follow an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering a heart attack after a road block was temporarily lifted.

The force’s detective chief superintendent Karen Jaundrill told reporters there were a total of 65 confirmed casualties following the incident on Water Street in the city centre on Monday.

She also said 50 people were taken to hospital and are receiving ongoing treatment as a result of the incident, but all appear to be recovering well.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Sims said: “It is believed the driver of the Ford Galaxy car involved in this incident was able to follow an ambulance onto Water Street after the road block was temporarily lifted so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public who was having a heart attack.”

She added: “As with many large events, with event organisers we planned for all contingencies and this included the implementation of road closures to protect pedestrians and an armed policing presence was also in place throughout the day.

“There was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place, and as we previously stated, the incident is not being treated as terrorism.

“An extensive investigation into the precise circumstances of the incident is ongoing and we continue to ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident and refrain from sharing distressing content online.”