Police carries out controlled explosion with roads reopened in Lancaster city centre

Police officers have carried out a controlled explosion after a “suspicious package” was found near St Nicholas Arcades in Lancaster city centre.

There was a police cordon from 6:30am with people evacuated from the shopping centre and nearby businesses. However, the roads surrounding the area are now back open.

In a statement during the cordon, a police spokesperson said: “We currently have a cordon in place in Lancaster Gate, Lancaster.

“This was following a report we received at 6.32am that a suspicious package had been found near to a property.

“Colleagues from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team are on their way and we ask people to avoid the area as a precaution.”

A later statement by Lancaster Police confirmed there was a controlled explosion in the city centre, with a spokesperson saying: “Following the controlled explosion, it was found that the item was of no threat. Our enquiries are ongoing into how the item came to be in that location.”