Sunderland 'bomb threat': Man arrested after City Hall evacuated

The North East Ambulance Service deployed several crews to the scene

A man has been arrested following a "bomb threat" in Sunderland which saw the City Hall evacuated and surrounding roads closed.

Police and other emergency crews were at the scene which was cordoned off while investigations were held.

Northumbria Police was called at 08:25 BST due to a report of "malicious communications" relating to a premises on Plater Way.

A 67-year-old man has been arrested and remains in custody.

City Hall is Sunderland City Council's headquarters, and people were urged to stay away.

Police confirmed at 18:00 they had stood down their "precautionary measures".

A spokeswoman said: "The building and surrounding roads have now been re-opened and the cordon has been removed.

"We would like to thank the community for their patience and cooperation throughout the day while police worked together with partners to investigate the matter further."

A cordon was put in place outside City Hall

Earlier the council said City Hall had been evacuated as a precaution following what it called "a credible threat".

It added that services were continuing to operate "at near normal levels as possible", with continuity measures put in place where necessary.

The full council meeting due to take place was cancelled.

Online grocery firm Ocado, which has a call centre on Plater Way, tweeted that it had been "liaising closely" with police and was "following their advice to ensure the safety of our colleagues".

A spokesperson told the BBC the building had not been evacuated on police advice.

Housing group Gentoo said it had closed its office at City Hall due to the incident.

The North East Ambulance Service said seven ambulances were deployed to the scene "supporting police colleagues" after the "bomb threat".

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service was also at the scene "as a precaution to support the police operation".