Police reveal what contents of “suspicious item” were amid bomb fears in Portsmouth

British Transport Police (BTP) were alerted after the item was discovered at Portsmouth and Southsea railway station at 7.40am. Police reacted quickly in response to the bomb scare – closing the transport hub and preventing members of the public from going inside.

READ NOW: Watch: Laughter as bomb disposal robot falls down steps

Trains were unable to head through the station and reach Portsmouth Harbour. Services were halted and turned round at Fratton station while a 100m cordon was put in place while an explosive disposal unit prepared one of its machines. Residents were blocked off from much of the city, with Stanhope Road, Edinburgh Road, Commercial Road, Station Street, Isambard Brunel Road, the vicinity of Victoria Park, and other areas, being completely cut off to traffic and pedestrians.

The BTP reported that the “suspicious item” was dealt with at 1.53pm, stating that it was no longer suspicious and not an explosive. Several eye-witnesses said a controlled explosion could be heard from the railway station, though this was not confirmed by the force. The item was confirmed as non-suspicious and cordons lifted and station fully reopened at 4.32pm.

Now BTP have released more details on the incident. The force confirmed there had been no controlled explosion and revealed what the contents of the suspicious item were – and said the item was not left there to cause harm. As such, no arrests were made.

A spokeswoman for BTP said: “Officers were called to Portsmouth and Southsea station at 7.41am yesterday following reports of a suspicious item. Explosive disposal teams attended and examined the item, which was confirmed to be discarded mechanical parts and deemed non-suspicious.

“Detectives have now examined the circumstances of the incident and are confident the item wasn’t left at the station with the intention of causing alarm. We’d like to thank the public for their patience while we responded to the incident.”

BTP had said on Sunday: “Officers are currently responding to reports of a suspicious item at Portsmouth and Southsea station. The station is closed and cordons are in place to allow specialist officers to assess the item.”