MI6 spy building in London cordoned-off due to suspicious package

The building in Vauxhall is the headquarters of the UK's foreign intelligence agency.

MI6 hq — The MI6 headquarters on the River Thames in London Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

The police have cordoned-off the area surrounding the MI6 secret service headquarters in Vauxhall, London, over reports of a suspicious package.

According to eyewitness reports on social media, Vauxhall bridge and Albert Embarkment were shut down by the police.

My building, MI6 and Vauxhall bridge suddenly shut down by the police. Should I be worried? pic.twitter.com/v2iYE0F9wx
— Samantha Zoe Bird (@SamanthaZoeBird) November 23, 2016

Police started closing the roads leading to the building around 2.30pm GMT.

"We have officers at the scene. Local roads are closed in the area. We are not discussing further at this stage," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told IBTimes UK.

Earlier today (23 November) a customer at a Starbucks Coffee branch near the MI6 building told the Evening Standard he found a camera the size of a matchbox hidden behind a grille above the customer toilet.

The device had since been removed by the staff who contacted the police. The coffee-chain store was open as usual when IBTimes UK reached out for a comment around 3.40pm GMT.

A Starbucks spokesperson said: "This is a distressing discovery for our partners (employees) and customers, and we take our responsibility to provide a safe environment very seriously. As soon as the store was made aware of this, we removed the device and contacted the police who are investigating the incident."

London