People were evacuated from their homes after a suspicious package caused a bomb scare.

The incident happened on the junction of Nora Gardens and Albert Road in Hendon shortly before 3pm today.

The all clear was given shortly after 4.15pm.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed they were called to deal with a suspicious package and that it was dealt with, with residents returning to their homes after.

Shomrim London tweeted: “Buildings on Bell Lane, Albert Road & Hillview Gardens in Hendon have been evacuated following bomb threat @MPSBarnet on scene”.

The roads have since been reopened.

Rosemary Stein, of Albert Road, said: “The police took total control. You have to react to these situations, and they handled it very well. It was dealt with quickly and they did not panic people. But they obviously wanted to get people away from the premises as quickly as possible.”

Rivka Steinberg, also of Albert Road, said: “The whole road had to be evacuated. I came out and the road was blocked off. Most of the people were hanging around the end of the street.  

“It was quite a big operation, it was all cordoned off. There were quite a number of police here. You could not access Bell Lane.”