Kirkgate Market in Leeds evacuated after reports of a suspicious package

Kirkgate Market in Leeds City Centre has been evacuated today (20th September) after police received reports of a suspicious package.

West Yorkshire Police received a call at 10:23 this morning, and put in a cordon in place, closing off Vicar Lane and the surrounding streets. It was lifted at around 3:30.

Traders have told us that they were told to leave their stalls and leave the area immediately, with many losing business for the day.

There were delays on bus services through the city centre, as routes are diverted due to road closures.

Kirkgate, York Road and Vicar Lane were are all closed, with commuters advised to check before they travel.

Buildings surrounding the area have been evacuated as a precaution. One woman told Radio Aire: "Everybody was pretty calm actually. Some people were already aware that something was happening.

"There's been quite a high police presence and the cordon has got wider as time has gone on. It's all been very calm though, and the police have been great.

"There's a feeling that everybody's doing their best and we just have to be patient."

Chief Superintendent Paul Money, Leeds District Commander, said: "We always treat any incident of this nature very seriously, particularly given recent events and the nationwide heightened focus of the threat of terrorism.

“This morning we quickly put appropriate measures in place to keep people safe while this incident was dealt with.

"Clearly this caused significant disruption to people living and working in the city centre and to local businesses and we would like to thank everyone for their patience and support.

“We would also like to recognise the work of our key partner agencies, particularly the Army bomb disposal team, in bringing today's incident to a safe conclusion.

“We recognise that people’s awareness of potentially suspicious items in public places has been heightened by the recent terrorist incident in London, and we continue to encourage the public to remain alert but not alarmed and report any suspicious activity or concerns to the police.

Two men, aged 26 and 30, from Leeds, have been arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal in relation to the contents of the bag.