The 'disturbing' Livery Street police scene after hit-and-run incident by Tunnel Club

Five people were hit by a car in what detectives described as a "deliberate" hit-and-run incident

Livery Street, Birmingham, is a photographer's dream. Through a lens it can offer stunning, telescopic views of the Jewellery Quarter connecting with the rest of the city centre.

But today it became a police crime scene after five people were hit by a car outside Tunnel Club, shortly after 3am, in what was described by detectives as a "deliberate" hit-and-run incident. One man was arrested on suspicion of affray.

Police were still searching for the driver involved this afternoon as forensics paced up and down the 30-something-metre cordon, filming and taking pictures as part of vital evidence-gathering. Bystanders stood and watched, some of whom had never seen a real crime scene before, as the bangs of construction work echoed through Lionel Street's tunnel.

Read more:Police hunt hit-and-run driver after Birmingham city centre pedestrians injured in 'targeted attack'

Suzie Richards, visiting Birmingham for the day, said she was shocked by the incident. Visiting the Jewellery Quarter with her mum, both from Leamington Spa, she said: "Never seen anything like this. We had to stop and find out what had happened. Terrible."

Her mum, Paula, added: "Quite disturbing, really, to be honest. We're going to get on our way." Locals who we spoke to said they hadn't heard or seen anything. But a freelance photographer, working at the scene, told us he had spoken to a resident who had heard "screaming" during the early-morning incident.

Reports suggest that hundreds of students had attended a Freshers' party at Tunnel Club, formerly Subway City, last night. "I'm just the cleaner, there's no one else here," a mystery voice told us over the phone when we called the venue, before quickly hanging up. It's unclear at this point if the event and incident outside are connected.

A shopkeeper at Kwik Stop, a newsagents/café near the scene, said the business was not open at the time of the incident. "I just saw all this when I came in this morning," he said. Looking out the window, he added: "But I have no idea [what happened]."

We know that one man was seriously injured in the incident. West Midlands Ambulance Service said he was rushed to hospital. Four other men were treated for potentially serious injuries and also taken to hospital.

What have police said?

A police spokesman told BirminghamLive: "We're investigating after a number of people were injured after, it is believed, they were deliberately driven at in Birmingham this morning. We were called to Livery Street shortly after 3am after a report of a disorder involving a group.

"Officers attended and five people were found injured. One man was arrested on suspicion of affray and remains in custody at this time, while we are still actively searching for the driver and the car involved.

"We're treating this incident as a targeted attack and are stepping up our patrols in the area today for reassurance. We're asking anyone who saw what happened, especially those with photos or video, to get in touch with us via 101 or Live Chat quoting log 315 of October 4."