New Market Street: Police issue statement after 'suspicious object' leads to Leeds city centre evacuation

Officers were called at 2.58pm on Wednesday afternoon (May 7), to reports a “suspicious object” had been found.

The discovery was made by construction workers on land off New Market Street, near Leeds Corn Exchange, and led to an immediate evacuation of the nearby area.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “The immediate was cleared and officers were liaising with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team regarding this matter.

“It was later determined the object was not suspicious and the scene was closed during Wednesday evening.”

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Firefighters were spotted on standby at the scene as an extensive police cordon was put in place.

All road closures have now been lifted and the area reopened as normal.