Suspicious Package Incident In Hereford Resolved Peacefully

Police dealing with a suspicious package in Hereford today can reassure the public that it was not a viable explosive devise.

Officers were called to Tesco on Belmont Road just before 12pm to a report of a suspicious package in a white van in the supermarket's car park.

Military bomb disposal experts attended the scene and on their advice, a 200m cordon was put in place, which meant that not only were the store and petrol station closed, but Belmont Road had to be closed.

At around 5pm were able to establish that the device spotted in the van was not viable, at which point cordons and road closures were lifted.

A man in his 40s has been arrested in relation to the incident and is currently in custody in Hereford Police Station.

Temporary Chief Inspector Martin Taylor said: "We had to treat this incident with the utmost seriousness and we have spent the afternoon working alongside our colleagues from the Fire service and the army to make sure it was resolved peacefully.

"Unfortunately, this incident caused widespread disruption to traffic in Hereford and those wishing to use the Tesco store. However, I am sure residents of the city will appreciate that we cannot take chances with the public's safety in these circumstances and I thank them for their patience."

Issued: Monday, 30 January 2012