Lichfield Cathedral evacuated - police swoop on city
LICHFIELD Cathedral was evacuated and on lockdown for six hours "after a man was seen acting in a suspicious way", police have confirmed.
Lichfield Cathedral evacuated due to ‘suspicious incident’
The historic cathedral in Staffordshire was evacuated this lunchtime with staff and tourists ordered to leave the building.
It is believed a suspicious package was found at the cathedral.
Police closed off Cathedral Close and evacuated residents from the area as they "reviewed" the situation and searched the building.
Officers urged people to "remain calm".
Lichfield Cathedral has been evacuated over a
We are aware of a report of a suspicious incident reported at Lichfield Cathedral
Following a six hour search, Staffordshire Police said the operation was over.
Police said: "Incident at #Lichfield cathedral has been resolved safely - nothing of note found and the public are thanked for their vigilance and support."
During the incident witness Kenny Wilding said: "Just evacuated Lichfield Cathedral where I working as someone went in with a package and came out without it."
The Very Reverend Adrian Dorber said: "Police are here now. They're continuing to search.
"They've asked the Close to be kept quiet.They're here in force basically for everyone's peace of mind."
Lichfield Police said: "Specialist officers are currently searching #Lichfield Cathedral after concerns about a man who was seen acting in a suspicious way."
Police have surrounded Lichfield Cathedral
Staffordshire Police said in a statement: "We remain at Lichfield Cathedral following the report of a suspicious incident this lunchtime.
"Specialist officers are currently undertaking a search of the Cathedral after a member of the public reported concerns about a man who she believed to be acting in a suspicious way at the site.
"All our measures remain precautionary at this time and we are not aware of any specific threat to the location.
"We would like to thank members of the public for their continued support and vigilance. We would ask the public to follow the instructions of those managing the incident.
"We will continue to provide updates as appropriate but urge our communities to remain calm."
Armed police have been seen in the city in recent days in the wake of the Manchester terror attack.
Evening Prayer will take place privately. We’ll continue to update social media and aim to reopen to the public as soon as possible.
— Lichfield Cathedral (@LichfieldCath) May 30, 2017
Lichfield Cathedral Close closed-off to the public pic.twitter.com/LUvxK2lAn6
— Nick Brickett (@nickbrickett) May 30, 2017
Lichfield Cathedral tweeted: "Our team evacuated the cathedral today after a suspicious incident and is now working with @StaffsPolice as investigations continue.
"We’re not aware of any specific threat & are working to reopen ASAP. Our Mr Turner exhibition will be closed today, unless advised otherwise."
The cathedral is currently hosting a JMW Turner exhibition and had finished the 12.30pm Eucharist service shortly before the evacuation.
Lichfield Cathedral is the only medieval three-spired Cathedral in the UK and is one of the oldest places of Christian worship, and the burial place of the great Anglo-Saxon missionary Bishop, St Chad.
Britain's terror threat is currently at "severe" meaning an attack is highly likely.
Police arrive at Lichfield Cathedral following evacuation
Armed police have been patrolling across the country and military personnel are being gradually stood down as the huge security operation launched after the Manchester bombing is scaled back.
Hundreds of troops were called in to support the police effort amid fears further attacks could be imminent.
The plan, Operation Temperer, was activated after the official threat level was raised to critical, the highest level, for the first time in almost a decade.
Over the weekend the assessment was changed back to severe, the second most serious rating.