Police placed an area outside Parliament on lockdown on Monday after reports of a suspicious package. A section of Victoria Embankment was cordoned off near Westminster Bridge while officers and firefighters investigated the scene.
The Metropolitan Police said they were called at 3.39pm to reports of a suspicious package in Embankment Gardens. Workers in Parliament were reportedly told to stay indoors while emergency services carried out their inquiries.
Pictures from the scene showed a bomb disposal robot being unloaded from a van. MP Michael Fabricant tweeted that he had heard a “big bang” as police conducted a controlled explosion.
Victoria Embankment was closed in both directions between Westminster Bridge and Northumberland Avenue, with traffic diverted to Trafalgar Square. The road was reopened at around 5pm following the controlled explosion.
