Police thank public after flower show evacuation and confirm investigation underway

Visitors to the show were asked to leave on Friday after officers at West Mercia Police received a bomb threat.

On Monday, Chief Inspector Mark Reilly of West Mercia Police thanked both residents and visitors and confirmed an investigation was underway.

He said: “As most people are aware, on Friday we received a bomb threat which was made anonymously to the Shrewsbury Flower Show.

"A swift evacuation was made of The Quarry, where the event was being held, so that extensive searches could be carried out to establish if the threat was genuine.

“I understand the bomb threat and police action caused concern and disruption to those wishing to enjoy Friday evening at the flower show and local residents.

“It was vitally important we took steps to ensure the threat was not genuine and that there was no risk to public safety. Thankfully, our searches established that there was no threat, and the show was able to go ahead as planned the following day.

“An investigation is now underway to understand the nature of the information provided to us which caused the threat, which at the current time we believe could have been a hoax call. If our enquiries establish the threat was a hoax then we will not hesitate to ensure those responsible face the consequence of their actions.

“I would like to recognise and thank the public for their understanding and co-operation on Friday, which allowed us to quickly and safely evacuate the Quarry so that we could carry out our searches. The support we received from our local communities in person and on social media has been incredibly important, and never something we would take for granted.

“I would also like to thank our colleagues from other emergency services and agencies for their support on Friday, as well as the show’s organisers for their co-operation and working with us to ensure the public were kept safe.”