Armed police swooped in Blackburn this afternoon following reports that a woman had been seriously injured in a shooting.
The emergency services were scrambled to King Street in the town close to Lidl after reports of a shooting said to have left the woman unresponsive.
LancsLive reported she has been taken to hospital with 'serious injuries'.
An area around the supermarket was cordoned off.
Armed police and a police helicopter were dispatched to the scene.
Unconfirmed reports suggested the woman had been shot.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police told our colleagues at LancsLive: "Officers, including armed police, are currently in the King Street area of Blackburn following an incident this afternoon (Sunday).
"We were called at around 3pm to reports a woman had been found unresponsive on King Street, close to Lidl, following gunshots being heard in the area.
"The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries. No arrests have been made but an investigation to establish exactly what occurred, and who is responsible, is very much underway.
"We appreciate this will have caused a lot of worry in the community, but we have deployed significant additional resources, including armed officers, to carry out high visibility patrols in the area to provide reassurance to residents.
"Anyone with concerns or questions is welcome to speak to those officers. Anybody with information about the incident, or who witnessed the incident, is urged to contact us urgently on 101, quoting log 817 of May 17th."
Eye-witnesses said at least seven police vehicles were at the scene and that a suspect has been detained by police.
