Westfield Stratford evacuated after 'possible suspicious item' found in London shopping centre

London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre was evacuated this morning (May 8) after a “possible suspicious item” was found on the premises.

Shoppers and workers were told to leave the building shortly after 10am after the object was found. Footage on social media showed terrified shoppers running out of the shopping centre after being told to leave.

Huge crowds waited outside the London shopping mall while the Met Police assessed the situation and the package that was found. Images also shared on social media showed that sniffer dogs had been deployed, while the bridge which links Westfield Stratford to the nearby station was taped off.

The Met Police confirmed that officers “assessed” the package and found it to be “non-suspicious”. The response was stepped down at around 11.25am, when the centre re-opened to shoppers once again.