Part of West End evacuated as police examine vehicle

A HUGE chunk of the heart of London’s West End was closed down as investigations took place.

Winston Beck was evacuated from a café in the Leicester Square area and returned to his car, only to find it had been cordoned off by police tape.

He said his car was parked in Haymarket, close to the vehicle under investigation, which was covered by a blue tent.

Mr Beck was waiting anxiously by the cordon to make sure no traffic wardens placed a parking ticket on his Volvo.

He had come to Leicester Square to take in the sights, adding: “But it’s turned into quite a sight.” He said he was in a café with his wife when he was told: “You must get out. You have to vacate the place.”

Mr Beck, 46, from Hainault, Essex, added: “There were a lot of fire brigade people and I thought there was a fire somewhere. When I got round the corner a policeman told me there was a car found with suspicious goods.

“I want to get my car and go home. It’s crazy.”

As well as being packed with theatres, cinemas and bars, the area also houses many offices and their staff, including Peter Nicholson, 26, who had been waiting to get in to work since early morning.

Mr Nicholson said he had got information about what was happening from watching TV in a nearby Tesco.

Etta Pierre, assistant to the chief executive of brewer Whitbread, works yards from the scene. She first heard about the incident on the radio and later had a call from the company’s receptionist to say she could not get into the office.

Asked if what had happened had caused her personal safety fears, Ms Pierre said: “It’s weird, you know, how your priorities change.

“All I’m thinking of is that I’m going on holiday to Antigua tomorrow and I have got a ton of work to clear from my desk.”

But she said she had phoned her partner and son to tell them she was safe.

The glitz and glamour of the West End caused confusion among some tourists.

Lee Yoon-na was taking pictures of the cordoned area with her boyfriend.

The 26-year-old South Korean, who is in London for a couple of days, had no idea that the scene she was witnessing was real.

She said: “We thought a Hollywood star was here and it was a movie scene.

“We did not know it was the news.”

When told what was happening, she said: “We’re surprised,” before adding: “We’re scared.”