Leeds Bradford Airport evacuated in security scare

Police said they were alerted to a suspicious package on Saturday evening

Leeds Bradford Airport was shut and staff and passengers evacuated when a suspicious package was found on Saturday evening.

West Yorkshire Police said officers had been called at 20:09 BST and placed a cordon around the scene.

A bomb disposal team also attended and the package was destroyed in a "controlled explosion".

Some flights due to land at the airport were diverted before it reopened at about midnight.

West Yorkshire Police said: "Following established procedures to protect passenger and public safety, a cordon was put in place as a precaution.

"The airport was closed for a short time whilst the matter was being investigated.

"Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attended and the item was subject to a controlled explosion.

'Not malicious'

"The incident is not believed to be malicious or terror-related at this time. Inquiries are ongoing."

Exactly four hours after police were called, a Ryanair flight from Malaga landed at Leeds Bradford.

However, during the closure other airports including Liverpool John Lennon and East Midlands accepted flights bound for West Yorkshire.

Some flights were diverted to other airports, including Liverpool John Lennon

Joe Burke, who was near the airport when he heard what was going on, said: "I know people who were meant to be flying in so I wanted to go and make sure everything was alright.

"The terminal was sealed off, the closest you could get was about 100m from the terminal. Even then I was asked to leave by airport security."

In a statement issued shortly after 00:30 on Sunday, Leeds Bradford bosses said: "We have now re-opened the terminal and operations have re-started.

"If you have any flight queries, please contact your airline directly."