A major incident has been declared after a child was killed during a stabbing frenzy at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop at summer holiday club today (Mon).<br /><br />The unnamed child was among eight people stabbed at the event being held for primary school children at The Hart Space in Southport, Merseyside.<br /><br />Around 25 youngsters were believed to have been taking part in the event when the horror unfolded at the hypnobirthing centre in the street around 11.50am.<br /><br />The business runs kids clubs during the holidays allowing children to take part in dance and craft classes.<br /><br />Police said a man has since been arrested and a knife was seized after the incident at the residential street in the seaside resort, but have not confirmed any deaths.<br /><br />A staff member at the Hart Space, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she had heard the suspect was wearing a ‘black hood’ when he stabbed multiple kids.<br /><br />She had also heard from onlookers that children had been spotted running from the building covered in blood following the horrific ordeal.<br /><br />The staff member told SWNS press agency: “There were probably 25 children there because that’s the max we have there and they had reached the max.<br /><br />"I don’t even know if the teachers are ok, they posted the other day that they were full for this Taylor Swift holiday club this morning.<br /><br />“The police had said [to me] there was one deceased.<br /><br />"When I got there, there was a guy who was absolutely distraught, in a mess. <br /><br />“He’d seen two children run out of The Hart Space, and he thought they had got hit by a car because the car was just full of blood at the side of the car. <br /><br />“But it was actually that the children who had been stabbed had fallen into the car.<br /><br />“It was apparently a guy with a black hooded top on. But he’s been arrested.”<br /><br />The staff member said the front door to the property was usually left unlocked as there was no other way out of the address in case of a fire.<br /><br />She added: “We’ve just been told that the door was open downstairs but it’s always open because there’s no alternative exit from that room. There’s no fire door. <br /><br />“Also we have to keep it open as the children want to go to the toilet constantly and it's just outside the door – the toilets. <br /><br />“It’s a lock with a key – you’d have to keep all the kids locked in with a key.”<br /><br />“The Hart Space is the most lovely, lovely relaxing place. Usually, it's for babies.<br /><br />"It’s a holistic kind of thing – for yoga and all that type of thing. For babies and pregnant women.”<br /><br />Emergency services flooded the area after being called at around 11.50am today (Mon).<br /><br />Armed officers, 13 ambulances and four air ambulances were dispatched to the scene and a huge police cardon has been put in place.<br /><br />Photos from social media show the major response, which one local said included 'around 20 police cars at the scene'.<br /><br />Merseyside Police have not confirmed how many casualties have been injured, but urged the public to avoid the area near Hart Street in the town.
