Stunned passengers have described their shock at the moment armed police burst on to a coach and ordered an immediate evacuation of the vehicle due to reports of a 'suspicious package' onboard.
There were dramatic scenes on Queen's Road, Norwich, yesterday when a National Express bus travelling from London Victoria to Great Yarmouth was stopped by officers.
Norfolk police later said a package found onboard was 'not suspicious'.
Police said they received a call at around 4.20pm, and the bus was stopped on Queen's Road, outside Travelodge, for several hours.
Aprill Yetman, 20, a passenger, said: 'Three or four officers came on to the bus and told us to get off quickly. Everyone was shocked, we all wondered what was going on.'
Another traveller, who did not wish to be named, said a passenger on the bus had alerted police to a possible suspicious package.
'When the police got on the bus they asked the person who had phoned them to put their hand up.'
The southbound carriageway of Queen's Road was cordoned off during the incident.
Passengers were offered the use of the café in Norwich Bus Station to wait in while police investigated.
A spokesman for Norfolk police said: 'Officers were called to a report of a suspicious package on a coach travelling from
London to Great Yarmouth.
'The coach was carefully monitored by police until it came to a stop on Queen's Road in the city, and all passengers were safely removed from the vehicle. A cordon was put in place around the coach in the interest of public safety and specialist officers were deployed to the scene as a precaution. Following further inquiries the bag was found not to be suspi-cious and the officers were stood down.'
Police this morning confirmed that they had gone onto the bus and spoken to two passengers, who were searched. But they said nobody had been arrested.
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