Police evacuate Soho over suspected World War 2 bomb
The Metropolitan Police have evacuated an area in Soho as they assess whether an old World War 2 bomb has been uncovered.
They were called to Dean Street after reports of an unexploded ordnance at 1.48pm today. The London Fire Brigade is also on the scene.
The Met said:
Officers continue to work in Soho following the discovery of suspected World War II ordnance at a building site.
Emergency services were called to the site, in Dean Street W1, at 13:42hrs on Monday, 3 February.
Cordons were put in place and the item is being assessed.
Initially, wider cordons were put in place covering much of Soho. We thank residents, local businesses and everyone else affected for their patience while we work to ensure public safety.
We expect to soon reduce the size of the cordons significantly to affect only Dean Street and the immediate area. We will provide further information via @metpoliceuk as soon as possible.
The Met said it had reduced its cordons to roads surrounding Dean Street and Wardour Street, with all other roads now open.
The Met had earlier cordoned off a large section of London’s Soho, spanning Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue, Poland Street and Lexington Street.
The Soho Hotel, the Soho Theatre and the Groucho Club were all evacuated, the BBC reports.
Twitter users shared pictures of the police on the scene in Soho.
More to follow.
Main image credit: Dave Scullion