There is a large police operation in Malton, and officers are asking people to avoid one area of town.

Officers are responding to a report of a “vehicle in suspicious circumstances.”

The police helicopter has also been spotted flying over town.

We’re asking people to avoid the Highfield Road and Old Malton Road area for the time being, while we work to ensure everyone’s safety,” said a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson.

Some schools in the town are reported to be on lockdown.

At 12:51 p.m., one person posted on Facebook, “My mum is inside Malton Primary – they’re all still on lockdown at the moment, no one in or out.

Another stated that St Mary’s School was “under lockdown.”

A third said they’d received a “email from school saying that they are in lockdown and that no one is to ring the school so that the lines can be kept free for police use.”

In the email, the procedure is described as “just a precaution.”

By 1 p.m., at least one parent had received word from St Mary’s that the lockdown had been lifted.