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A large part of central Manchester was evacuated on Saturday afternoon after a suspicious package was found on a bus.
Police, firefighters and army bomb disposal experts were transferred to the bus station in Piccadilly Gardens around 1 pm after the package was detected on a Stagecoach service.
The discovery prompted the evacuation of Piccadilly Gardens and the surrounding streets.
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Businesses like Primark had to close while bus and tram services through the gardens were suspended.
Some commuters had to abandon Metrolink streetcars that were abandoned on routes entering and leaving the city’s main square.
Army bomb disposal experts were also called in to examine the package and three hours after the drama began it was deemed harmless.
(Image: ABNM Photography)
The scare sparked two other reports of suspicious packages on buses, with passengers on alert due to the ongoing Piccadilly Gardens incident.
Roads were closed at Salford Quays after another suspicious item was found on a bus at 2.25pm. There was also a third similar report on Aytoun Street in Manchester city center. Both were quickly deemed harmless.
But the alert continued in Piccadilly Gardens until shortly after 4 p.m., when bomb disposal officers concluded that the suspicious package on the bus posed no risk.
The cordon was lifted and the city center returned to normal.
Police believe the other two incidents came after well-meaning reports from members of the public who were already on alert after news of the Piccadilly Gardens package broke.
(Image: ABNM Photography)
Manchester City Council city center spokesperson Pat Karney, who was in the city when the evacuation occurred, told MEN: “There will be groans and groans at the inconvenience of the people who had to surround it, but I want to commend emergency services.
“They didn’t know what was on that bus when they arrived.
“They were there very fast and risked their lives. They are all wise after the event, but given what we have been through in this city, you must take these situations seriously. I am one hundred percent behind their actions. They did it to protect us.”
The package in question was seized by the police and the alert is being investigated.
A GMP statement said: “At around 1.15pm today (Saturday 5 September 2020), police were called to report that a suspicious item had been found on a bus at Manchester Piccadilly bus station.
“Agents have evaluated the item and confirmed that it is safe and there is no risk to the public.”
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