LONDON -- Police in the United Kingdom said they were responding Monday to a "major incident" in Southport, with emergency officials adding that at least eight people had been transported to local hospitals with stab wounds.

"Armed police have detained a male and seized a knife. He has been taken to a police station," Merseyside Police said in a statement.

The patients were transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Southport and Formby hospital, the North West Ambulance Service said on social media.

The town sits on the U.K.'s western coast, about an hour's drive from Liverpool.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.