Victoria Bridge Street has been sealed off and there’s a large police presence after the evacuation of the Premier Inn hotel
There's been a large emergency service response to reports of a suspicious package at a hotel on the border of Manchester city centre and Salford.
Police and EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) personnel have been called to the Premier Inn on Victoria Bridge Street.
There are a number of police vehicles in the area of Chapel Street and Deansgate and sirens have been heard across the city centre.
Victoria Bridge Street has been closed and police have urged people to avoid the area.
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“Following an investigation from police and EOD (bomb disposal) the suspicious package at the Premier Inn hotel on Victoria Bridge Street in Manchester has been confirmed as a non-viable device and not suspicious. The cordons are now being lifted and staff and guests are being invited back into the hotel. Thank you for your co-operation.”
Inspector David Whelan, from Salford police, said:
“We are dealing with a suspicious device and the hotel chose to evacuate by pressing the alarm, which has helped us. “There are experts on the scene doing a visual assessment and we are trying to minimise disruption. The hotel manager is being very co-operative and is in the process of trying to find alternative accommodation for people. The small device is still in situ and still being treated as suspicious. It is in a room on the fifth floor. The hotel is cordoned off so we can operate in a safe environment. Extra info around 80 people evacuated. Eight police officers on scene, two ambulance incident response units. Relatively small sections of Chapel Street and Cross Street cordoned off”
A spokeswoman for Premier Inn said few details available at this stage, but added: “The hotel was evacuated and guests and team members have gone to a local hotel to make sure they are comfortable.”
The police and the army have not yet been able to determine whether or not it poses a threat. It is still in situ inside a room on the fifth floor, and therefore the cordon will remain in place.
The Premier Inn then took the decision to evacuate 80 guests. The police called in the army disposal experts.
Police have confirmed that a suspect item was found on the fifth floor at 4pm.
The first video from the area shows the police response:
A brief update from Transport for Greater Manchester.
The is the area affected – the high-rise Premier Inn has been evacuated, and there are police cordons on Victoria Bridge Road and Chapel Street adjacent to it.
Their van is parked outside the hotel.
Sophie-May Clarke, a reporter who is at the scene, says staff from CitySuites serviced apartments have invited workers from evacuated offices into their building for shelter.
Fire alarms from nearby office blocks can still heard, says Sophie.
*Chapel St from Blackfriars Rd to Victoria St
*Victoria Bridge St
*Cathedral Approach
*Top of Deansgate after Blackfriars St
Firefighters are seen here in conversation with police at the scene – it’s thought that fire crews have since left.
Police are outside the cordon at the entrance to the Premier Inn on Victoria Bridge Street.
This is the full statement just released by Greater Manchester Police:
Officers are currently attending a report of a suspicious package at the Premier Inn hotel on Victoria Bridge Street in Manchester.
EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) are attending and the hotel has been evacuated.
Victoria Bridge Street is closed as a result.
We would ask that people try to avoid the area and use alternative routes.
The police have just told us that the incident relates to a suspicious package at the Premier Inn on Victoria Bridge Street.