'Bomb scare' forces closure of 14 Tesco stores

Fourteen Tesco supermarkets across the UK were closed today in what some reports said was a bomb scare.

Police refused to give details of the incidents, beyond saying the “safety alert” was a precaution.

Officers from Hertfordshire in England, where the firm has its headquarters, said no one had been hurt.

The force said they had launched a criminal investigation following a series of threats made to the stores.

In a statement tonight, they said: “Police in Hertfordshire have launched a criminal investigation following a series of threats made to 14 Tesco stores across the country that occurred today.

“Police were alerted immediately and have liaised with Tesco throughout the day. Public safety has been of paramount importance to all involved.

“No one has been injured and Tesco plan to open their stores as soon as possible today or tomorrow. While the public are advised to remain vigilant we have no reason to believe that the incidents are linked to extremism of any kind.

“The Constabulary has taken the investigation forward as Tesco has its head office in Hertfordshire. Every effort is being made to trace those involved.”

Police said the closures affected stores in Lancashire, Suffolk, Dyfed Powys in Wales, Fife and Strathclyde in Scotland, Leicestershire, Humberside, West Mercia, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and London.