Telford bomb threat: Suspect released on bail over shopping centre hoax call

The call making a "serious threat" to Telford Centre was received at around 2pm on Friday, prompted shoppers and workers to pour into the streets after being told to get out by security.

After an extensive search, West Mercia Police said they found "nothing suspicious".

A 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of communicating false information and has since been released on police bail as enquiries continue.

Superintendent Edward Hancox, said: “As most people are aware, yesterday afternoon we received a bomb threat which was made anonymously to Telford Shopping Centre, which led to a swift evacuation of the centre.

“Officers carried out extensive searches to establish if the threat was genuine and I understand the bomb threat and police action caused concern and disruption to those visiting Telford Shopping Centre.

“It was vitally important we took steps to ensure the threat was not genuine and that there was no risk to public safety. Thankfully, our searches established that there was no threat, and the Balloon Fiesta taking place nearby at Telford Town Park was able to go ahead as planned later that evening.

“An investigation is now underway to understand the nature of the call, and a man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

“I would like to recognise and thank the public for their understanding and co-operation yesterday, which allowed us to quickly and safely evacuate the shopping centre so that we could carry out our searches. The support we received from our local communities in person and on social media has been incredibly important, and never something we would take for granted.

“I would also like to thank our colleagues from other emergency services, Telford & Wrekin Council and Telford Shopping Centre for their co-operation and working with us to ensure the public were kept safe."