Closing summary
Detective Ch Supt Karen Jaundrill said police have arrested a 53-year-old man from the West Derby area of Liverpool. She says he has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving while unfit through drugs. He remains in custody where he is being interviewed.
It is now believed that the driver of a Ford Galaxy was able to follow ambulance after a road block temporarily lifted so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public suspected of having a heart attack.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper will visit Liverpool on Tuesday evening after dozens of people were injured at the Premier League victory parade on Monday. Cooper is expected to visit the cordon of the incident and meet with emergency personnel.
Earlier, Metro mayor of the Liverpool city region Steve Rotheram said the “big question” was how the car had managed to access the street. He said: “Water Street was not a route where vehicles were supposed to be using it, it was blocked off. At this end of it, which is the direction that it was coming in, towards The Strand, there were literally hundreds of thousands of people here, so no vehicle would have got through anyway.”
Liverpool fans have received an outpouring of support from current and former stars of the club, as well as celebrity supporters, after a car ploughed into a crowd in the city on Monday. On Tuesday, club captain Virgil van Dijk said he was “praying for a speedy recovery” for all those injured in the crash after the title parade.
King Charles has released a statement, adding to the chorus of well-wishers responding to last night’s events. King Charles said: “My wife and I were deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the terrible events that took place in Liverpool on Monday. It is truly devastating to see that what should have been a joyous celebration for many could end in such distressing circumstances.”
Helen Godwin, the new mayor of the West of England, has said the thoughts of people across the region were with Liverpool. She said: “The thoughts of people across the West of England will be with all those affected by the awful events yesterday evening in Liverpool, after a day of joy became one of heartbreak.”
A planned strike by Unite workers at the Royal Liverpool university hospital was called off after yesterday’s incident in Liverpool city centre. Over 50 lab workers were set to walk out today over concerns that staff burnout and understaffing was putting patients at risk, but the workers made the decision to suspend their industrial action after the incident last night.
Alison McGovern, MP for Birkenhead, called on the public not to speculate after the “really awful” incident in Liverpool, PA reports. She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she felt “so devastated” after spending four hours at the Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade.
