Road near PM Truss's office reopens after security alert

A member of the police bomb disposal unit walks following a shut down after a suspicious package was found, at Whitehall, in London, Britain, October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

A road in the centre of London's government district, near Prime Minister Liz Truss's Downing Street office and residence, reopened on Tuesday after it was temporarily closed because of a security alert.

Whitehall, between the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, is also home to several government departments including the foreign ministry, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence was sealed off after reports of a suspicious package.

"Specialist officers have assessed the item in Whitehall and it has been declared as non-suspicious. The cordon has been lifted," the police said around an hour later.

A view of the suspicious package that was found, following which a shut down and evacuation was initiated, at Whitehall, in London, Britain, October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

A Reuters photographer saw police using a bomb disposal robot, and a bang was heard.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Henry Nicholls, Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Kate Holton and Michael Holden)