London’s Victoria and Albert Museum was evacuated yesterday (3 January) after reports of a bomb scare. Police were called to the institution in Knightsbridge, west London, around 3pm and all visitors and staff were escorted from the building as a precautionary measure, said a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police.
The area was cordoned off while specialist officers searched the museum, but they found no security threat. The incident was subsequently “stood down”, according to the spokeswoman. The museum reopened to visitors shortly afterwards. The Science Museum, which is located nearby, was not evacuated.
One eye witness described the scene on Twitter: “Watching the Victoria and Albert museum get evacuated due to bomb threat. Lots of yelling but no running. All roads blocked too.” In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks last year, many of London’s top museums and galleries have ramped up security, including tighter bag searches and changes to visitor entrances.