Nottingham’s Victoria Centre was evacuated following the discovery of a suspicious package.
Notts Police were called just before 11.25am today following the discovery in the centre’s upper mall.
Security staff evacuated the centre and a police cordon was put in place while officers examined the package.
A bomb disposal team and armed officers were seen arriving at the centre after the alarm was raised.
Shortly after 5pm police said the alert was a false alarm and the package contained only clothes and no explosives.
The centre is expected to remain closed while police continue to examine the scene.
Superintendent Steve Cartwright from Notts Police said: “We appreciate today’s evacuation will have caused inconvenience to many on a busy Bank Holiday weekend and we would like to place on-record our thanks to each and every person affected by today’s events for their patience and understanding while officers and partners worked to bring this incident to a swift and safe conclusion.
“While no explosives were discovered on this occasion, public safety remains our absolute priority and it is essential that these reports are taken seriously and properly investigated.
“While we always encourage the public to report any suspicions or concerns they have about unattended items they discover, we also feel it is important to remind everyone to keep their belongings with them at all times to help avoid any repeat of today’s events.”
Notts TV News understands the evacuation was prompted by the discovery of two abandoned suitcases.
Situation at Intu Victoria Centre right now….. #Nottingham #Bombsquad #Britisharmy pic.twitter.com/1Hh6WahX2n
— Bimbola25 (@Bimbola25) May 29, 2016
Shoppers have tweeted pictures and video of bomb disposal specialists arriving on the scene
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them on 101 quoting incident 320 of May 29.
Picture: Thousands of people were asked to leave the centre at the time of the alert
