The taxi driver who dropped off the Southport killer at the dance class where he murdered three children has told a public inquiry he regretted not calling police sooner.

Gary Poland, who did not phone police until 50 minutes after the attack, told the Southport Inquiry he drove away in a panic.

The inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall was told he had believed loud bangs he had heard moments after dropping off Axel Rudakubana were “gunshots”.

Via video-link Mr Poland, who heard screaming and whose vehicle dashcam showed girls running from the venue, said: “I should have called the police earlier. In hindsight I wish I had done and it’s something I think about every day.”

Alice Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were killed in the attack, and eight other girls and two adults were also injured.

The inquiry heard that after the attacker refused to pay for the taxi, Mr Poland saw him go into the Hart Space and then heard the loud bangs.

“It was terrifying,” he said.

“You were fearful and in a state of shock. I just thought someone was shooting.”

He said he then went into “panic mode.”

Mr Poland also heard the victims screaming.

He said: “I should have called the police earlier. In hindsight I wish I had done and it’s something I think about every day.

“I did what I did because of fear, shock and panic. These are human emotions which I could not control.”

Nicholas Moss KC, counsel to the inquiry, said in his statement to police Mr Poland described seeing “a massed huddle of children stumble and run in a panicked hurry”.

The statement described the girls “screaming… it was like a stampede for their lives”.

Mr Moss also said dashcam footage from Mr Poland’s taxi shows the girls running alongside his vehicle, and showed him looking in the rear view mirror.

In his statement to the inquiry, Mr Poland said he did not know the children had been injured.

Mr Moss asked Mr Poland if he accepted that he should have stopped on Hart Street as soon as he was out of harm’s way, and called the police.

Mr Poland replied: “Yeah.”

Mr Moss also said a transcript of the phone call he made to his friend had him talking about his belief that the attacker had a gun, but did not show him expressing any concern for the girls.

Mr Moss asked him if it was fair or unfair that the purpose of the call was “guess what just happened to me”.

Mr Poland replied: “Unfair.”

Earlier Mr Poland had said: “I can’t sleep at night. I shut my eyes, I see his [the attacker ‘s] face. He is just there all the time in my head.”

The inquiry continues.