Grand Hotel in Brighton evacuated over bomb threat

Guests in the nearby Brighton Centre, which is hosting the Trade Union Congress annual conference, also made to leave

The Grand Hotel in Brighton (Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

Brighton’s Grand Hotel has been evacuated amid fears of a bomb threat.

Guests have been made to leave the iconic seafront hotel after an anonymous call was made to Sussex Police claiming explosives had been planted in the building.

Police and military ordnance disposal searched the premises and nothing untoward was found.

Guests in the nearby Brighton Centre, which is hosting the Trade Union Congress annual conference, were also evacuated.

The large conference and exhibition centre on the seafront next to the hotel was emptied shortly after the hotel was. The TUC conference was drawing to a close at the time.

The main road – the A259 King’s Road – along Brighton seafront was closed in both directions from the aquarium roundabout to the British Airways i360 tower as a result of the incident.

In a statement Sussex Police said: “Police have been working with management at the Grand Hotel in Kings Road, Brighton after an anonymous phone call was received at the hotel at 4.30pm on 10 September, alleging that there was an explosive device there.

"Hotel management decided to evacuate the hotel, a decision supported by the police, and the hotel was swiftly and safely evacuated.

"Thorough searches and enquiries are taking place to establish as soon as possible whether or not the call is a genuine one. Military ordnance disposal are attending as part of the search.

"Nothing untoward has been found at this time. In the meantime roads and car parks in the immediate vicinity have been closed as part of the precautions.

"Drivers and pedestrians are advised that there will be some inevitable delays and diversions until the incident is safely resolved."

People were later allowed to re-enter the hotel, with a police presence appearing to be scaled down.