Police called after misunderstanding over picnic knife in Spalding's Ayscoughfee Gardens

Police were called out to reports of a man wielding a knife in Ayscoughfee Gardens in Spalding this afternoon...only for it to turn out that the person was merely enjoying a picnic.

Officers attended the grounds of the historic hall just after 2.30pm in what eventually turned out to be a false alarm as residents soaked up the sun and enjoyed a snack in the venue's gardens.

A police spokesman explained: “We received a call at 2.39pm, reporting that a man had been seen with a knife in the gardens at Ayscoughfee Hall, Churchgate, Spalding.

"Officers arrived at the scene where the man explained he had brought the item as part of a picnic he intended to have in the gardens.

"The man was given advice and pedestrians were told it was safe to return to normal.”