BBC bomb scare: Offices near Broadcasting House evacuated after 'suspicious package' found
OFFICES surrounding the BBC’s headquarters in central London have been evacuated amid a bomb scare.
Offices have been evacuated in central London
Officers cordoned off an area around Regent Street, Langham Place and Portland Place over reports of a suspicious vehicle.
Hundreds of workers gathered in the street and some people were reportedly seen running from the BBC’s Broadcasting House.
BBC staff were among those moved behind a police cordon in the street -although Broadcasting House itself was not evacuated.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a call was received shortly after 2pm.
Hundreds of office workers were evacuated on to the streets of London
#portlandplace sealed off by police unclear why #London pic.twitter.com/wa0TuKsvAB
— Rebecca Hainsworth (@Becca_Lou18) December 1, 2015
He added: “There is a suspicious vehicle and a full evacuation has taken place."
The terror scare followed a separate evacuation at London Bridge – also in central London – also on Tuesday afternoon.
Scotland Yard confirmed the alert had been cancelled by 3.15pm and that the vehicle was found to be non-suspicious. Roads have now reopened.
Twitter users later claimed to have seen a BBC employee being “told off by police for having a suspicious van”.
Portland Place is also home to the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Kenyan High Commission and the Royal Institute of British Architects as well as the BBC.
BREAKING: Part of Portland Place by the BBC sealed off, 'suspicious vehicle', nearby offices evacuated pic.twitter.com/AspqklqK01
— Adam Courtney (@FulHamBushChron) December 1, 2015