Birmingham Rep theatre evacuated after 'explosion'

A theatre in the centre of Birmingham was evacuated following reports of an explosion.

People were led away from the Rep theatre and from outside Symphony Hall on Broad Street after a loud bang was heard at about 20:00 GMT.

West Midlands Police said there had been a "technical fault" in the theatre's basement.

There were no reports of any injuries and road closures were later lifted.

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The theatre confirmed the "technical fault" on Twitter and said the evacuation was "a precautionary measure".

It added: "We're pleased to report there were no injuries. Many thanks to the emergency services for their help."

No casualties have been reported, West Midlands Police said

In a tweet, West Midlands Police said: "This will have been a very frightening experience for everyone."

All businesses on Birmingham's Broad Street were open as usual.

Police said theatre-goers were looked after at another venue.

A woman who was in Broad Street told the BBC she had been going for a drink before the show at Symphony Hall when she heard "a loud bang".

"The whole bar turned around, it wasn't like a car hitting another car, it was more like an explosion kind of sound."

Richard Jones said he had heard the bang from "half-a-mile away" and described the immediate aftermath as "very, very scary".

A production of Brief Encounter was scheduled to be performed at the 1,014-capacity theatre.

Broad Street is at the heart of the city centre's leisure scene and is renowned for its numerous night-time venues.

Update 14/2/18: An earlier report that Symphony Hall was also evacuated proved to be incorrect.