Cordons lifted as EOD says 'suspicious object' found in Northampton town centre is 'not dangerous'

Cordons in Northampton town centre have been lifted as the bomb squad has determined that the “suspicious object” is “not dangerous”.

Emergency services were called to the Market Square area today (Tuesday June 27) at around 9.30am after the object was left in the doorway on the Army careers centre in The Parade, at the top of Market Square.

The EOD arrived at the scene at around 11am to complete a controlled assessment, which included an explosion at around 11.30am.

By 1pm, the cordons had been lifted as the object was deemed not dangerous.

Northamptonshire Police has also confirmed the object to be an “electrical cooking device”. The force says they will be “progressing with enquiries” to see if any criminal offences were committed

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “We have now lifted the cordon in the town centre following an assessment by the Explosive Ordnance Unit which deemed the object to not be dangerous.

“We will however be progressing enquiries to find the person who left this item in The Parade and ascertain if any criminal offences were committed.

“Members of the public in the local area can return to their homes and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we dealt with this incident.”

Businesses were evacuated and closed while the incident was dealt with. The bus station also closed and buses stopped outside of the town centre.