Manhunt underway after bomb squad called to Chester train station

A manhunt is underway for the person responsible for causing mass disruption in Chester city centre on Friday evening. Officers were called to the city centre after receiving reports of suspicious activity on two buses, one near the train station and one near the bus interchange.

Police put a precautionary cordon in place and several roads were closed during investigations. Emergency services flooded the city centre as the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team arrived to assist. Cheshire Police has confirmed no substance has been found and are keen to speak to a female passenger who alerted the bus driver.

Merseyrail trains between Chester and Liverpool were disrupted following the "security alert", as were the 1 and X1 bus routes which connect the two cities. One eye-witness told Cheshire Live there was "quite a lot of panic" among people in the area.

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DI Rupert Morrey said: “Thankfully there was no substance behind the claim made by a passenger that there was a package on either of the busses. It appears to have been malicious and we are doing everything we can to find the person responsible. This person caused widespread disruption in the middle of rush hour and caused considerable concern among the community.

“We have an abundance of CCTV in Chester and on the busses as well as other lines of enquiries to help us with our investigation and are relentlessly pursuing these to find the person responsible.”

Anyone with information should contact Cheshire Police on 101 or via www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us quoting IML 1968640. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.