Police cordon off popular football pub after 'suspicious packages' found

Police declared a major incident and evacuated people from their homes after "suspicious packages" were found at a popular football fans' pub in Bristol.

Avon and Somerset Police said emergency services had been called to The Three Lions in Bedminster, which is famous for its support of Bristol City FC - at around 12.40pm on Sunday.

A cordon was put in place and some people were evacuated, the force said in a statement, and also urged the public to avoid the area.

The force initially declared a major incident then later said it had been lowered to a critical incident.

In updates through Sunday afternoon, the force said: "At 1.12pm an internal major incident was declared. Following review of current situation, it's being treated as a critical incident instead, which is a lower threshold. We're still advising people avoid the area while the precautionary cordon is in place."

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At 5pm on Sunday, the force said officers were still dealing with the incident and the cordon remained in place.

"We are grateful for the public's patience and understanding while enquiries continue at the scene," it said.

"Searches of the area are continuing at the moment. Our number one priority is public safety and the cordon will remain in place until those searches are completed."