Man arrested after hoax bomb threat sparked nine-hour search at Bristol pub
9 October 2022, 16:05 | Updated: 10 October 2022, 06:50
Police declared a ‘major incident’ after being called to search for 'suspicious packages' at a Bristol pub that turned out to be a hoax.
Officers from Avon and Somerset Police were called to The Three Lions pub in Bedminster at around 12.40pm this afternoon.
The force said: “As a precaution, people have been evacuated from the pub and some nearby properties.
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“A 50m cordon has been put in place and we’d ask for members of the public to avoid the area at this time."
Landlord Sean Donnelly said he thought the alert was a joke at first. He told the BBC: "A police officer rang up and said we had to evacuate.
"Then all of a sudden the police stormed in and we all had to get out. They put drones up and sniffer dogs have gone in, and we're waiting on an army sniffer dog to search the site."
Emergency services are responding to an incident in West Street, Bedminster.
— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) October 9, 2022
As a precaution a 50m cordon is in place and some people have been evacuated. We'd ask the public to avoid the area at this time.
We will provide more updates via @ASPolice #BedminsterIncident pic.twitter.com/lbJ6KIk7S5
“A major incident has been declared while searches are carried out.
“We’d like to reassure people we have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with such incidents.”
The incident was stood down yesterday and police confirmed it was a hoax.
They said: “no suspicious items have been found and there is not believed to be any wider risk to the public.”
A man has been arrested on suspicion of a false communication offence and was taken into custody, Avon and Somerset police added.
