Westminster Bridge was placed under lockdown on Thursday morning after police discovered a suspicious package. The alarm was raised at around 7.30am, prompting bomb disposal squads to carry out a controlled explosion on the busy thoroughfare.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they received reports of the suspicious item and immediately deployed army explosive ordnance disposal units to the scene. Officers cordoned off an area between Jewel Tower and Millbank House, bringing traffic to a standstill and evacuating passersby from surrounding streets.
College Green park was reopened to the public at approximately 8.15am, nearly an hour after the alert began. Following the controlled explosion, the package was deemed non-threatening. Sky News reported that it contained Christmas cards from a Labour minister.
This incident follows a similar security alert last month at Stockport railway station, where a suspicious suitcase was discovered on a footbridge. That scare led to a 200-metre cordon, station evacuation, and widespread travel disruption, with explosive ordnance disposal units responding.
