Police evacuated a hotel and closed down a stretch of Canal Street in Manchester’s Gay Village following a ‘chemical’ incident today
A hotel has been fully evacuated and a police scene is in place in Manchester after a “chemical” incident led to an evacuation.
A stretch of Canal Street in Manchester’s Gay Village was closed after officers responded to reports of a smell, believed to be “chemicals”, sparking a search of a hotel room.
Police said nobody had been injured and a man, believed to be the occupant of the room, was detained and is currently in custody.
Some shops were evacuated as investigations were carried out this afternoon, with a large emergency response from police, ambulance and fire crews pictured at the scene.
In a statement, a GMP spokesperson said: “We are currently searching a hotel room at a premises on Canal Street, Manchester. This follows a report of a smell – currently believed to be chemicals – causing suspicion.”
“A man, believed to be the occupant of the room, has been detained and is currently in custody. As a precautionary measure, the hotel has been evacuated while specialist resources examine the material and conduct further enquiries.
“No-one has been injured and we are working to establish the full circumstances. We thank people for their patience as we continue with our work.”
A cordon is still in place on Canal street but the police barrier on nearby Sackville Street has now been removed. Sackville Street was previously cordoned off along to the junction with Brazil Street and Richmond Street.
Investigators have been spotted around On Bar on Canal Street. Bar Pop, which is a few feet away from the incident, told customers they are still open.
