Portsmouth brought to standstill as police swarmed station and cordoned off area amid bomb scare

British Transport Police (BTP) were alerted after the item was discovered at Portsmouth and Southsea railway station at 7.40am. Police reacted quickly in response to the bomb scare – closing the transport hub and preventing members of the public from going inside.

Trains were unable to head through the station and reach Portsmouth Harbour. Services were halted and turned round at Fratton station. BTP Hampshire reported at 8.30am: “Officers are currently responding to reports of a suspicious item at Portsmouth and Southsea station.

NOW READ: Recap of bomb scare events yesterday

"The station is closed and cordons are in place to allow specialist officers to assess the item.” Specialists units were deployed to investigate the area.

A 100m cordon was put in place while an explosive disposal unit prepared one of its machines. Residents were blocked off from much of the city, with Stanhope Road, Edinburgh Road, Commercial Road, Station Street, Isambard Brunel Road, the vicinity of Victoria Park, and other areas, being completely cut off to traffic and pedestrians.

Emergency services evacuated residents near the railway station as a precautionary measure. BTP said the affected streets were Stanhope Road j/w Willis Road, Commercial Rd j/w Surrey Street, Station road j/w Slindon Street, Isambard Brunel Road j/w Greetham Street, and Guildhall j/w Isambard Brunel Road.

Sam Leggett, 22, of Isambard Brunel Road, was one of them. He said firefighters urged residents to rush out of their block of flats at roughly 11.20am. He told The News: “The whole building was evacuated.

SEE ALSO: Residents evacuated near station amid bomb scare

“We got a knock on the door then heard firemen shouting down the hallway. We’re outside Guildhall and I can see a bomb disposal robot. It looks like the police are moving it around to test that it’s working.”

Mr Leggett added the whole situation left him and other residents speechless. “We don’t really know how to feel”, he added, “It’s all a bit of a shock.

"In Portsmouth, you don’t really expect this kind of thing to happen, if it is happening." Video footage from the scene showed a bomb disposal robot being made operational by police.

While this was taking place, public transport networks were continuing to be disrupted. Buses into the city centre were rerouted, and events such as Sunday Funday at Victoria Park were cancelled. Some businesses inside the cordon closed, with a heavy police presence maintained throughout.

SEE ALSO: Item at railway station declared “non suspicious”

The BTP reported that the “suspicious item” was dealt with at 1.53pm, stating that it was no longer suspicious and not an explosive. Several eye-witnesses said a controlled explosion could be heard from the railway station, though this was not confirmed by the force.

They said: “The item has now been confirmed as non suspicious and the cordons are in the process of being lifted. Thank you again for your patience while we’ve responded to this incident.”

Police reported the station was fully reopened at 4.32am. The details around the item – what it is or its contents – have yet to be confirmed.