Bermuda Park incident: Mum tells how she 'popped daughters under table'

A mother has told Sky News how she tried to keep her two young daughters safe by "popping them under the table".

Laura Mjeshti was speaking at a Frankie and Benny's restaurant near Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where a gunman took two members of staff at the MFA Bowl complex hostage.

A man has been arrested and the two hostages released unharmed, police said.

:: Gunman takes hostages at bowling alley

Laura was with her two and eight-year-old daughters when police told her to flee to the restaurant and stay in lockdown.

Speaking just after police allowed people to leave the restaurant she told Sky News: "I panicked and popped my children under the table because I didn't know what was happening.

:: Gunman at bowling alley was 'shouting and swearing'

"I've got two daughters, one is two and the other three. Because of what's been going on in the last weeks I've got it into my head what to do in this sort of situation.

"One of them asked me what to do and I just told her to sit down. I did not want to panic her. I just tried to keep her occupied and said we would be going home soon.

"People were anxious, we were all just trying to protect ourselves. It was very scary, an awful experience. You just wonder what's going to happen to you, whether it's terrorism.

"I heard someone say it's a former worker but at the moment we have no idea what's going on.

"The police were outside the building. They were stopping people trying to get out onto the main road and then about 10 minutes later we saw the armed police.

"We just had a view of the entrance of the Odeon and the armed police were just standing in the building.

"At about 4pm the police officer said if your car is parked near the building we will go and get your car. We had to get in a queue and the police brought our car over to us."

Warwickshire Police said: "We would like to reassure the Nuneaton community that the incident is unconnected to any terrorist incident."