On Wednesday morning shoppers were evacuated from John Lewis in Kingston, South West London, after a bomb threat was made.
The Metropolitan Police evacuated the store and roadblocks were put in place including Kingston Bridge whilst emergency services investigated.
The Met Police said at the time, “The store has been evacuated and London Ambulance Service are in attendance as a precaution.
“There have been no reported injuries. A number of closures, including Kingston Bridge, are in place while officers search the premises.”
A John Lewis spokeswoman said, “Under the advice of the police, we can confirm that our Kingston John Lewis and Waitrose shops are now open and trading as normal.”
Earlier the spokeswoman said, “We can confirm that our John Lewis and Waitrose shops in Kingston were evacuated this morning as instructed by the police.
“The safety of our customers and partners is our top priority and we are working closely with the emergency services as they handle the situation.”
Scotland Yard said that the stores and roads re-opened at 12:45 after searching the area and nothing was found, and added that the incident is not believed to be terror related.
Kingston Council said in a statement, “This morning the council was informed of reports of a bomb threat at the John Lewis department store in Kingston town centre.
“The store has been evacuated and cordoned off, and a number of road closures are in place, including Wood Street and Kingston Bridge. Please avoid the area until further notice.
“Our residents’ safety is our priority and we are working closely with the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service and other authorities while investigations continue.”
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