Homes and businesses in Watford town centre were evacuated this morning after police found a suspect package.

Officers made the discovery while searching a newsagents in High Street at around 9.20am after executing a warrant for suspected stolen goods.

Plain-clothed police smashed their way into Watford Newsagents through the part-glass front door before 9am.

The suspect package was found at the back of the building and officers immediately set up a cordon and started to evacuate the surrounding area.

The package was later examined and found to be harmless.

Mark Franklin was in the nearby pub The Moon Under Water ordering breakfast when officers evacuated the pub.

The resident of Hemming way, Garston, said:  "I went into pub Moon under the water and ordered my breakfast before going off to work. Next thing I knew police came in and they were evacuating the pub.

"Staff, customers, the lot - we all had to leave. They wouldn’t tell us what had happened, I was annoyed I couldn’t finish my breakfast as I’d paid for it.

"We went outside and we were told we were not allowed past Clarendon or Market Street, there were cordons everywhere."

Following the discovery that the package was not a threat officers lifted the cordon and continued their investigation at the shop.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary: "Police executing a warrant at a property in High Street found what appeared to be a suspect device towards the back of the building.

"In the interests of public safety, a cordon was immediately set up around the building, the road cleared and neighbouring properties evacuated.

"However the device was then examined and found to be harmless.

"The cordon was lifted and officers are continuing with their initial investigation."

No arrests have yet been made, but police said enquiries were still ongoing.

Following the raid Abdul Salam, one if the owners of Watford Newsagent, said he was not present when officers went in and was at a loss to say why police suspected them of having stolen goods.

He said: "They broke in early this morning but didn’t find anything and didn’t arrest anybody, the warrant was for stolen goods.
"They said it was because of intelligence they received that there were stolen phones here but we’re a newsagent,

"They are telling us we have to go to the police station to sort out whether they are going to pay for it.

"They need to pay because they broke the glass and damaged the lock, it’s looking like £400 to £500 worth of damage."