A bomb scare led police to close a busy high street and evacuate properties today (Monday, December 1).
Officers were called to reports of a suspicious package left on a bus at the junction between Ferrers Avenue and Station Road in West Drayton at around 3.05pm.
They cordoned off the road from its junction with Swan Road and evacuated nearby businesses.
However, the road reopened at around 4.30pm after officers from the force's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit searched the package and found it to be safe.
Ambulance crews also attended the scene, but were told to stand down as no one needed treatment.
One person who works along the road said a police officer had come to his office and ordered everyone out.
The man, who did not want to be named, said: “We had a knock on the door – a policeman very out of breath. He'd been running. He was very frantic. He said to lock up the office and stay away from the windows.
“From our windows you could see the bus, which had been parked there for between 15 and 20 minutes.
“About 20 minutes or so later we got a knock on the door from a different police officer saying could we lock up and leave via the back door. You could see every single store and shop being told the same thing. They pointed us in which direction to walk and there's just a huge gathering now."
He added: “It's not something that happens every day. It's a bit more relaxed now, but at the time it was quite scary.”
Vladimir Matveev, owner of Swan Bed and Breakfast, on Swan Road, said: “I was just coming back from the barber shop and I saw the [police] cars at Station Road, so I went to see the policeman and he was just closing the road with a ribbon.”
He added: “They've stopped everybody going along the pavement. It's not just cars not allowed to go; it's pedestrians too.”
In an unconnected incident last month, the intu Uxbridge shopping centre was evacuated on Armistice Day because of a security alert. A 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making a threat to cause an explosion. He was later bailed.
