A man has been arrested after a car struck "multiple" pedestrians in Derby city centre on Saturday evening, police say.

A "number" of people were injured, some of them seriously, and were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital.

The Derbyshire Constabulary says that the incident occurred in Friar Gate at approximately 21:30, and involved a black Suzuki Swift.

Police are appealing to anyone in Derby to get in touch urgently if they have any information in regard to the incident, but note that they do not believe there is any further risk to the public.

In the Derbyshire Constabulary's statement, they say that police officers stopped a vehicle believed to have been involved in the incident shortly after it happened, and the driver, who is in his 30s, was arrested and taken into police custody.

Friar Gate has been completely closed from the junction with Curzon Street/Cheapside up to Ford Street, and the public have been told to avoid the area completely.

"Although we know this will be alarming, we would like to reassure people that we do not believe there is an ongoing risk to the public," police said.

"No further information is available at this stage but we will post an update as soon as we have one."

They said they wanted to "hear from anyone who saw a black Suzuki Swift being driven in Derby around the time of the incident".

A local person was quoted as saying by the Derby Telegraph that they were at a bar close to where the incident had taken place and had come outside because "someone said a load of people had been hit by a car".

They went on: "Everyone was talking about it and panicking, we know people who were in other bars and thought it might have been them.

"It's so sad, everyone is so shook up. People have been crying, I just can't believe something like this has happened."

Derby Telegraph journalist Oscar Fisher attended the scene at around midnight, noting that the streets had "fallen silent" at a time in the city centre when the streets should be "filled with students and locals enjoying the nightlife".

He said that in Friar Gate, debris remained scattered across what is "usually one of Derby's busiest streets" after the incident.

Catherine Atkinson, MP for Derby North, said that she was "deeply shocked" by reports that people had been injured in a "serious incident" in Derby city centre.

"My thoughts are with those injured and I'm grateful to our emergency services," she wrote in a statement shared via her Facebook page.

She urged the public to follow police advice and avoid the area, and to contact police with any relevant information "as soon as possible".

Local authorities are reviewing cycling in the city centre and plan to improve how rules are communicated.

A video posted on a Derbyshire Police page had more than 200 comments, some of which were abusive.

Rachel Swann, who became chief constable in August 2020, is due to leave her role on 10 May.

Liam Derrett died in hospital days after being attacked in Ilkeston's Market Place.

The cat was not injured, but police say the incident "caused significant distress to the owners".