A man has been arrested over hoax emails sent to three Merseyside schools.
Holly Lodge Girls’ College and The Belvedere Academy in Liverpool as well as Greenbank High School in Southport were all targeted in the space of four days.
West Derby School was also temporarily closed for a day while staff attempted to ascertain the severity of the threat, which police later described as ‘not credible’.
Detectives arrested a 21-year-old man from Runcorn on Wednesday (January 28) in connection with the messages sent to Holly Lodge, Belvedere and Greenbank.
He was detained under suspicion of offences under the Online Safety Act and taken into custody for questioning.
Detective Inspector John Black from Merseyside Police said: “Our investigations into the hoax incidents this month continue, and this arrest demonstrates good progress is being made.
“We would like to reassure parents and carers that schools across Merseyside have well established and practiced procedures to keep children and school staff safe when schools are made aware of potential incidents or threats.
“Officers and the local authorities are continuing to provide reassurance and advice to those schools affected, and we would like to thank students, parents and carers for their patience and understanding.”