A man has been arrested after Conservative MP Sir David Amess was stabbed several times during a “very distressing” incident at a constituency surgery in Essex.

It is not yet known how seriously the 69-year-old, who has been an MP since 1983, has been injured.

Police said they are not looking for any other suspects, and praised members of the public for their response after the incident at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea.

A spokesman for Sir David’s office in Westminster said: “The incident has happened. I don’t know what the incident is.

“We are still waiting.”

Councillor John Lamb, who is at the scene, said the MP had not been taken to hospital but medics were “working on him all that time” within the church building.

He told the PA news agency: “He’s a family man, he’s got four daughters and a son.

“He’s always trying to help people and especially refugees he’s tried to help.

“He’s a very amicable person and he does stick by his guns, he says what he believes and he sticks by it.”

He said he got the call about the “dreadful” attack just after midday and rushed to the constituency surgery, but the surrounding roads had already been cordoned off by police.

Aerial footage showed multiple police officers outside the church and an air ambulance at the scene.

A large cordon extended down Eastwood Road, with members of the public gathering behind it, and multiple side streets closed off.

The incident comes five years after Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered as she arrived to host a surgery in her Batley and Spen constituency in June 2016.

Her widower Brendan Cox tweeted: “Attacking our elected representatives is an attack on democracy itself. There is no excuse, no justification. It is as cowardly as it gets.”

Witness Anthony Finch described seeing someone being taken out of the building and put into the back of a police car.

He told LBC: “At that point obviously we knew something serious had happened.

“Within five minutes we’d been informed by someone who was actually in the building what had happened, and apparently he (Sir David Amess) had been stabbed quite a few times.

“It’s very odd and it’s very distressing, that’s for sure.”

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith wrote on Twitter: “My thoughts are with David Amess MP and his family at this awful time.

“Praying for a full recovery following this appalling, shocking news. This angry, violent behaviour cannot be tolerated in politics or any other walk of life…”

Former prime minister David Cameron tweeted: “Very alarming and worrying news reports coming from Leigh-on-Sea. My thoughts and prayers are with Sir David Amess and his family.”

A police spokesman said: “We were called to reports of a stabbing in Eastwood Road North shortly after 12.05pm today.

“Officers were on scene shortly after, arrested a man and recovered a knife.

“He is currently in custody.

“We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the wider public.

“We want to thank the public who alerted us to the incident so quickly.”

Police requested potential witnesses to come forward with CCTV, dashcam footage, or doorbell footage.