Police have reopened Whitehall after an evacuation over reports of a suspicious package.
Officers had established cordons at Parliament Street as they responded to reports of a possible suspicious package. The item was detonated in a controlled explosion and was later deemed to be non-suspicious.
A spokesperson for the Met told the Standard: “Police were called at 11:27hrs on Tuesday, 7 June to reports of a suspicious package found at Parliament Street.
“A controlled explosion of the item took place. The item was found to be non suspicious. Safety cordons and closures have been lifted.”
One journalist said: “We’re all being escorted out the back of Downing Street. Whitehall closed down by police while they investigate a suspicious package”.
Police brought a bomb disposal robot to the scene, and firefighters were also present.
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing the “loud bang” of a controlled explosion.
One worker who was evacuated from his office, told the Standard: “I saw police outside the office and they were moving people away from a rucksack left in a phonebox. We were all told go back inside and then leave by the back.”
