Bluewater shopping centre evacuated after 'unattended package' discovered

The package was later found to be 'harmless'

A bomb disposal team were seen arriving at the shopping centre and carried out a controlled explosion (Google Maps)

Police carried out a conrolled explosion at one of Britain’s largest shopping centres after shoppers were evacuated when an “unattended package” was discovered in the building.

Hundreds witnessed the scare at Bluewater in Kent on Saturday evening when bomb disposal experts arrived following reports of a suspicious package.

The package was later found to be “harmless”, police confirmed.

Bluewater confirmed over Twitter an area of the shopping centre was cordoned off while police investigated the incident.

The cordoned-off area is understood to have been near Marks and Spencer’s.

Eyewitnesses at the shopping centre said they heard a “loud bang” followed by “people running out”.

A Bluewater spokesperson said: “Following reports of an unattended package, we have cordoned off an area while police investigate. We are liaising with Kent Police.”

Kent police said they had dealt with a security alert at Bluewater Shopping Centre on Saturday evening after "a package was discovered unattended".

Police said: "Several shops were evacuated as a precaution and police officers were deployed to ensure everybody was safe.

"A controlled explosion was carried out on the package, and was found to be harmless.

"Enquiries are underway to establish who owns the package and why it was left unattended."

Chief Superintendent Andrea Bishop said: "The safety of the public is our top priority and I would like to thank all the staff and shoppers at Bluewater for their co-operation."

The scare comes after Brussels raised its terrorism alert to its highest level on Saturday, suspending its underground and deploying armed security forces to patrol the city.

The alert came amid reports police had found a cache of weapons and ammunition during a raid on an apartment in a poor suburb of Brussels home to the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks that killed 130 people.

English Premier League clubs are also on "extra high alert" following the Paris attacks, Richard Scudamore, executive chairman of the Premier League, told BBC’s Newsnight.

In 2007, five men linked to al-Qaeda were jailed for life for planning to bomb Bluewater shopping centre.