Area around Buckingham Palace reopens after dissident threat

An area around Buckingham Palace has now been re-opened following a bomb threat by dissidents republicans in London.

Scotland Yard say the telephone threat was made using a recognised code word but was not specific with regard to either location or time.

The alert comes just one day ahead of the historic Royal visit to Ireland by Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

Police forces in London say all officers have been advised to be highly vigilant, and they are urging members of the public who notice anything suspicious to contact a confidential anti-terrorist hotline.

Roads around the Admiralty Arch area of The Mall were reopened before noon after the security scare in the early hours.

A painstaking search was launched and roads were closed around the ceremonial gateway that leads from the corner of Trafalgar Square after an officer spotted “something suspicious” at 4.20am.

There was also understood to have been a controlled explosion of a suitcase in nearby Northumberland Avenue as officers swooped on suspicious packages.