LONDON SHOPPING CENTRE IS EVACUATED AFTER 'SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE' FOUND

A London shopping centre has been evacuated after a 'suspicious package' was found in a bomb scare.

Shoppers were evacuated from Westfield Stratford City, in east London, at around 10.15am this morning after the object was found.

Footage shared on social media shows people running out of the mall after being told to leave by staff.

Photos also show police with sniffer dogs in attendance with tape cordoning off a bridge which links the shopping centre to Stratford station.

The Metropolitan Police says the item has been 'assessed' and was found to be 'non-suspicious', with shopping centre reopening at 11.25am.

Videos taken by people outside the shopping centre this morning showed crowds of gathering near to the entrances after police stopped them going inside.

Actor Martin Johnson tweeted that people were being turned away from the centre at around 11.15am.

He wrote: 'Be advised that if you’re coming to @westfieldstrat think again. The whole shopping centre and surrounds have been evacuated. I can see police tape up. Police marshalling people back. No further announcements or advice.

He added: 'Sniffer dogs in attendance. I’m being told that a fire has happened in the shopping centre. If this were an emergency evacuation it seems to have been a leisurely one. People still coming out of the building 25 minutes after the building was shut down.'

However, a spokesperson for the Met said the incident was declared safe 10 minutes after this.

They said: 'At 10:15hrs on Wednesday, 8 May, police were alerted to a possible suspicious item at Stratford Place, E20.

'The surrounding area was evacuated as a precaution while the item is assessed.

'The item was found to be non-suspicious and the incident was stood down at 11:25hrs.'

The spokesperson declined to give more information about the nature of the item when asked by MailOnline.

2024-05-08T11:33:27Z dg43tfdfdgfd