Rail operator Northern confirmed it was a “suspicious package” and the station was immediately evacuated. Police set up a 100m cordon around the area, closing several roads for security reasons. Talbot Road was blocked from Devonshire Street to Cookson Street and barricades were also in place in Bickerstaffe Square.
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Police set up a 100m exclusion zone around the station as bomb squad officers examined the package. Restrictions on Talbot Road have now been lifted for traffic, but the station remains closed. A bomb disposal robot was seen on one of the station’s platforms and passengers waiting outside the station say they heard what sounded like a controlled explosion. Dozens of other passengers were reported to have been stuck on trains outside the station for several hours, unable to disembark. Services continued between Preston and Blackpool South. Frustrated commuters and shoppers await news outside the station and the nearby Sainsbury’s store. A statement from Northern said: “Due to a security alert at a station between Blackpool North and Preston all lines are blocked. “We will be running services from Blackpool North once the station is declared safe, unfortunately this has also affected Blackpool South leaving staff and stock displaced.” Services to Blackpool affected are those from Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Airport, Hazel Grove and York. Northern later said that due to the blockade around Blackpool North station, replacement bus services would depart from Dixon Road, outside Funny Girls. A bomb disposal team arrived at Blackpool North station (Image: Kirsty Daley).
