A man was arrested over an alleged 'bomb hoax' which led to a city centre hotel being evacuated and a busy street being cordoned off.
Merseyside Police confirmed they were called to reports of a bomb hoax at a premises in Liverpool on June 17. At around 7pm, staff and guests were evacuated from The Britannia Building on Fenwick Street.
One woman who was visiting Liverpool for the weekend was having a meal nearby. She told the ECHO there was nothing, she "popped out for a cigarette" and suddenly there were huge crowds of people.
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She added: "There was so much noise, people everywhere. It was like a twilight zone, police just swarmed the area."
One man, staying in a hotel within the cordon, said he heard banging on his door and "a lot of noise" as he was told to leave due to a potential bomb threat. He told the ECHO he "no longer feels safe to return".
Police confirmed that a 41-year-old man from Liverpool has been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb hoax. He has been taken to a police station in Merseyside where he remains in custody. Officers have searched the premises and no suspicious devices were located.
Merseyside Police were in the area for just over two hours when the cordon was eventually lifted. Officers could be seen within the cordon entering Hotel 46. As crowds of people watched on, people were being urged to walk around and avoid the cordon.
Businesses were temporarily closed as Dean Wong, manager of The Slaughterhouse, said: "Police evacuated the street, told everyone to get inside and lock the windows. It's Saturday night and we're usually chocka in here so yeah it's obviously affected our business tonight."
People attending the Slaughterhouse pub were being asked to use the back entrance, but front entrances remained closed until the cordon was lifted. A staff member at another venue added: "We're not allowed new customers to come through but the ones inside are being kept entertained as we always do."
Officers remain in the area to provide reassurance. Fenwick Street on the junction of Brunswick street, James Street and Moor Street was closed during the incident and have now been reopened.
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