Peterborough supermarket evacuated and bomb squad called after concern raised about ‘suitcase’

Tesco at Serpentine Green was evacuated after concerns were raised about a suitcase. Pictures: David Lowndes

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman confirmed to the Peterborough Telegraph this evening that the Tesco supermarket in Serpentine Green had asked customers to leave after the suitcase was reported at around 8.40pm.

The police spokesman said a cordon had been placed around the supermarket while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EoD) was called.

The spokesman said Tesco took the decision to evacuate the store after someone had ‘picked up on a suitcase that looked out of place’.

The police spokesman stressed the situation was dealt with calmly and police officers arrived and found a suitcase that couldn’t be accounted for.

The spokesman said: “The store had been evacuated before officers arrived and the situation had been dealt with calmly. We are keeping a cordon in place until the MoD can assess the site. I would stress that it is very much a matter of routine to work with the MoD in this way and err on the side of caution. There are no other aggravating circumstances at this stage.”

Stagecoach East said on social media that services to the centre had been stopped because of the ongoing incident. It said in a tweet: “Due to an ongoing incident at Tesco Hampton, we are unable to serve Serpentine Green. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

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