London's Regent Street shut down for Met explosion after 'suspicious vehicle'

Reports have shown that Regent Street in London has been cordoned of by Police with a suspected terror incident.

While the Police has not confirmed, a video shared online shows all civilians being evacuated and prevented from entering as all the shops in the area have been closed down in a precautionary measure. This includes famous toy shop, Hamleys. Police tape and vans are currently blocking access to the street from either side. Current reports detail a potential "bomb threat."

The Daily Star has reached out to Metropolitan Police for more information. One person, who works in an office in Regent Street, told the News Shopper: "We were evacuated at approximately 12:50pm and there were rumours of there being a suspicious item."

Regent Street is one of the busiest areas of London, a stone throw away from Piccadilly Circus tube station and next to Carnaby Street. It is home to several famous shops, including Hamleys which welcome five million visitors each year.

Another office worker who was evacuated from their building told MyLondon he was informed of a bomb threat at 1.10pm. About eight minutes later he was told to leave the building promptly along with the rest of the building. He said: "We got reports of a bomb threat in a building behind New Burlington Place.

"One of the members heard an explosion and police have been evacuating the streets." He added that people are being ushered towards Oxford Circus as police sweep the area.

Police have closed off Regent Street between Conduit Street and Vigo Street in both directions. Traffic monitoring service INRIX says this has led to heavy congestion around the street, with six London buses currently under diversion and causing trouble for drivers.

Members of the public are reportedly being ushered away from the scene. and encouraged to move on and away from the street. Eyewitnesses at the scene have also reported that the police allegedly set off two controlled explosions, with thoughts the evacuation could be due to a potential bomb threat.

The Met Police released a statement on X regarding to the incident. They wrote: "Road closures are in place in the vicinity of Regent Street and New Burlington Street while officers investigate a suspicious vehicle. Officers have carried out a number of controlled explosions as a precautionary measure."

People hoping to travel through London have been told to consult travel information before departing as six London bus routes – 12, 88, 94, 139, 159 and 453 – have been diverted away from the scene.

One X user shared a video from inside his office as he was not evacuated. He shows opening a window from a rooftop. Outside a loud siren can be heard blaring from the streets below as he walked onto a balcony and pointed the camera down. Below, red double deckers lined the streets having been abandoned.

He captioned the video: "I'm still in the office on regent street. Very eerie. Heard at least one explosion." Someone replied to the video: "I’m on old Burlington street/Savile Row - definitely two explosions one very loud and another following slightly quieter."

The Met released a statement claiming all suspected threats were searched for. "This incident has now been fully stood down. The vehicle was found to be non-suspicious," they added.

Regents Street is expected to open and resume business as usual.