A man dressed in a burka has been arrested after a bomb scare brought Watford town centre to a standstill today.

Emergency services were called after a suspicious package was found in the road outside Travelodge, in Market Street, shortly after 11.30am.

UPDATE: The man arrested wearing a burka after yesterday's bomb scare will have no further action taken against him.

The bomb squad arrived on scene within minutes and deployed a remote controlled robot to retrieve the package. But police have now confirmed the device was "not viable" - which means it could not have caused an explosion.

The team from the Royal Logistics Corps then carried out a controlled explosion in the ring road at the entrance of Church Street Car Park at around 1.30pm.

Bystanders said they saw a number of police officers arrest a man dressed in a burka.

Police confirmed the man was arrested in Clarendon Road and he was taken into police custody. No other details are known about the man who was detained.

The arrested man was also seen with two backpacks, but police confirmed both of these had children's books in them.

Dozens of officers had already descended on the town centre and rushed to evacuate the area.

Traffic was diverted out of the town with road blocks and cordons cutting off access to High Street, Market Street and the ring road near Church Street Car Park.

Buses and cars were left abandoned as confused shoppers were pulled from the vehicles and guided to safety.

Paramedics were also on standby throughout the operation, with the East of England Ambulance Service sending an ambulance officer and three Hazardous Area Response Teams to provide medical assistance as a precaution.

Drivers with cars parked in intu car parks and Church Street Car Park were unable to return to their vehicles for hours.

St Mary’s Church in High Street was set up as a make-shift refuge offering free bottles of water, squash, tea and biscuits for people to escape the sun.

Pat Beach, a volunteer for Shopmobility, which was evacuated from Church Street Car Park, said they were told to leave about half an hour before the package was detonated.

She said: "It’s a bit scary. We work at the end of the building looking out onto the ring road where all the police are and the bomb disposal unit. I didn’t expect anything like this when I came to work this morning."

Other witnesses described hearing what sounded like a "gunshot" when the device was destroyed.

Those who saw the arrest said the man was "wearing a burka and had a kiddy’s schoolbag in his hand".

AJ West, who was using Shopmobility, said: "I heard something go bang. This is all very close to home. It’s more real to me than the London bombings."

While a resident living in the nearby Water Lane apartments said: "This is very unnerving and unsettling. I have a 19-month-old daughter and I'm starting to feel a bit paranoid.

"There is loads of police outside and a lot of people have gathered outside as the ring road and High Street is closed."

Chief Inspector for Watford, Dave Wheatley, said: "This has been a very fluid and fast moving incident which is still very much on-going at this time.

"Detectives are working hard to determine the full facts of the incident and understand the motives surrounding it, as well as identify witnesses who may have information to assist with our investigation.

"I'd like to thank the public and businesses for their understanding whilst we have been working at the scene so this incident can be resolved without injury".