British Army bomb disposal squad sent into Manchester street

British Army bomb disposal experts attended an incident in South Manchester in relation to a possible suspicious package but deemed it safe, according to Greater Manchester Police.

The soldiers were called by police to Linby Street in Hulme shortly before 11am this morning (25 May). A large police cordon was erected around the street.

Police had initially indicated that the explosives specialists were attending an incident at a college but this was later corrected.

Shortly after 11.30am, the area was declared safe and the surrounding cordon removed.

Footage scenes around the cordon were uploaded to Twitter by reporters at the scene.

Channel 4's Ciaran Jenkins said he had heard police shouting "take cover".

The Guardian's Frances Perraudin described seeing the bomb disposal team and a dog van.

As the army moved in, police tweeted: "The following roads are currently closed – Mancunian Way, Limby Street and Jackson Street. Officers are in attendance and we are currently assessing the situation."

They later said that an Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal team had arrived on the scene.

As many as 1,000 troops have been supporting police officers to keep Britain secure in the aftermath of Monday's suicide bombing, which claimed the lives of 22 people and injured 59 others.

So far eight arrests have been made in the UK in connection to Monday's attack. Relatives of 22-year-old suicide bomber Salman Abedi have been detained in Libya.