Covent Garden: Tourist hotspot on lockdown after 'suspect package' found

Police cordon: Covent Garden was evacuated after 'suspect package' was discovered
ES
Fiona Simpson3 March 2017

Covent Garden was on lockdown following the discovery of a "suspect package".

Police taped off an area of Maiden Lane, close to the tourist hotspot, shortly before 7pm on Thursday, Scotland Yard said.

The cordon stretched between Southampton Street and The Strand in an area of the capital popular with theatre-goers.

Onlookers said one enterance to the iconic market was sealed-off.

Others took to social media to discuss the incident.

One Twitter user wrote: “What's going on on the #strand police cars surrounding he office #scaredtoleave #coventgarden.”

Another added: “Suspect package in Maiden Lane.”

A Met Police spokesman said: “We were called just before 7pm on Thursday to reports of a suspect package in Maiden Lane."

The package was deemed non-suspicious and the cordon was lifted just before 8pm.

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