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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Chris Johnston

Controlled explosion carried out near new US embassy in London

The US embassy in Nine Elms under construction.
The US embassy in Nine Elms under construction. Photograph: Alamy

Police have carried out a controlled explosion after being alerted to two unattended vehicles near the new US embassy in Wandsworth, south-west London.

Police used a bomb disposal robot for the controlled explosion of a red van parked next to the unopened building on Ponton Road at 5.37pm on Wednesday.

Specialist officers were at the scene along with ambulance and fire service vehicles and cordons were in place.

The Metropolitan police said the vehicles were not suspicious and the roads would be reopened soon. Residents had been told to stay indoors and the car park of the nearby Waitrose supermarket was also closed.

The first staff move into the embassy early next month.

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