Police carry out controlled explosion at London Euston station

Police have carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious package at Euston railway station, the Metropolitan police has confirmed.

Cordons were in place around the main line station in north London at lunchtime on Saturday afternoon.

Passengers were evacuated from the station.

The force said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter: “We’re aware of reports online about an incident in the vicinity of Euston Station.

“Police cordons are in place as a precaution while officers investigate a suspect package.”

It later added: “A controlled explosion has been carried out by specialist officers and the police cordons have now been lifted. Thank you for your patience.”

It came a day after two suspicious packages were found at Gatwick airport and the US embassy.

The Met told the Guardian that it was not treating the incidents as linked.

Part of the south terminal at the airport in Sussex was evacuated after a “suspect” package was reported. It was closed for hours while officers from the explosive ordnance disposal team made the package safe.

Two people who were detained by police were released and allowed to continue with their journeys after the terminal was reopened.

Some flights were cancelled and others were delayed, with passengers told to contact their airlines for updates or to rebook where necessary.

On Friday officers blew up a suspicious package left outside the US embassy in south London.

The Met later said that the item was a hoax device and that it was investigating.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We can confirm that the ‘loud bang’ reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers.”

The US embassy wrote on X: “Local authorities are investigating a suspicious package outside the US embassy in London. Met police are present and have closed Ponton Road out of an abundance of caution. We will provide further updates when available.”