Birmingham New Street suspicious item turns out to be cannabis grinder

The British Transport Police (BTP) responded to reports of a suspicious item on a platform at Birmingham New Street at 3pm yesterday (31 October).

The station evacuated hundreds of people as a precaution whilst the item was being assessed, said the BTP.

The item left on the platform was actually a cannabis grinder, in the shape of a grenade.

Following the incident, disruption was expected to last for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

Passengers had been advised to check National Rail enquiries for the latest travel updates as whilst lines had reopened, trains may still be “cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 100 minutes as services return to normal”.