Asda supermarket evacuated in Chelmsford as bomb disposal squad called over suspicious package

Police and bomb disposal experts were called to an Asda supermarket in Chelmsford in Essex following a report of a suspicious package on Monday.

The store was evacuated and a Ministry of Defence explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) unit sent in to investigate.

Essex Police, the East of England Ambulance service and Essex County Fire and Rescue were all called out to the supermarket in the Chelmer Village area shortly after 10am on Monday.

Both staff and shoppers were told to make their way outside as the emergency services arrived and police cordoned off both the store and car park.

Employees were allowed to return inside more than two hours later as police gave the supermarket all-clear shortly before 1pm. The bomb disposal experts removed the package and took it away away for testing.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were called at 10.10am today with reports of a suspicious package at Asda in Chelmer Village, Chelmsford.”

The force later added: “We have lifted the cordon at the Asda store ... and the Ministry of Defence EOD unit has taken the package away. Our investigations and enquiries are continuing.”

Shoppers were initially seen huddled in the car park immediately outside the Chelmer Village Asda branch following the bomb scare before police widened the cordon.

One bystander tweeted: “Something is going down at Chelmer Village Asda. All three emergency services are there and more are appearing on blues and twos. Police have closed off the access to the car park.”

Asda, owned by US retail giant Walmart, referred to the police statement when contacted for comment.