St John's Church in Glastonbury will close its churchyard and suspend most activities for 30 days following rising concerns over antisocial behaviour — just days after a nearby school went into lockdown.

The decision comes after St John's Infant School, which sits directly behind the church, was placed into lockdown when police received reports of a man carrying a weapon near Glastonbury library.

The Churchwardens and Parochial Church Council (PCC) said the move was made "with regret" but was necessary to safeguard the church, congregation and visitors.

From 1 May, all activities at the church — apart from Sunday services and funerals — will be paused. A notice will be displayed in the churchyard advising visitors of the closure.

In a statement, the Churchwardens and PCC said: "It is with regret that the Churchwardens and PCC have made the decision to close the churchyard and stop church activities, other than Sunday services and funerals, for 30 days from May 1st.

"This is due to the increase in antisocial behaviour and we hope that this period of resetting may give other agencies a time to reassess allocation of resources to make the area accessible to all.

"In light of our responsibilities for the safeguarding and safety of our church, congregation and visitors, we agreed that this was the best course of action."

The safety concerns come after last week's incident where Playaways Nursery, St John's Infant School and Jumping John's Nursery went into lockdown as a precaution, after reports of a man being seen in the town centre.

Speaking at the time of the incident, police confirmed they were at the scene within minutes of the call and conducted a thorough search of the area but neither the man nor any weapon was located.

Officers have remained visible in the area since and have urged the public to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

A further update has been requested from Avon and Somerset Police about what extra support will be put in place for Glastonbury town centre.