Streatham High Road closed for two hours over stink bomb

A high street was closed off for nearly two hours after a suspected chemical spill turned out to be stink bomb. Police, firefighters and council workers went to Streatham High Road in Streatham, south London, after locals dialled the emergency services. The 2.2 mile high street - the longest in the UK - was cordoned off while the source of the smell was investigated.



Traffic chaos ensued, with bus drivers ordered to get their passengers off the bus and motorists diverted along side streets away from the 'spill'. It was only after police found that a stink bomb had been dropped outside the Solarium Sunset Tan shop that they realised it was a false alarm - with the street re-opened at 1.30pm last Thursday. One bus driver, who did not want to be named, said: "I was just sat there for maybe 15 or 20 minutes and then told the let the passengers off.

"A fireman told me they were investigating a possible chemical spill and everyone should clear the area." Local Simon Hoskins, 43, said: "The smell was pretty bad in the area near the shop, but to be honest the reaction was a bit over-the-top. To close off the longest high street in the UK over a stink bomb is just overkill. I realise that people have a job to do, but surely this could have been nipped in the bud a little quicker than two hours."



He added: "Imagine the chaos when the Olympics starts if a child's stink bomb can cause so many problems." A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said the substance was tested and found to be 'not harmful'. A police spokesman said: "Police were called to a property after reports of criminal damage where a small amount of non-threatening liquid had been poured on to the front steps." He said that no arrests had been made, but that investigations were 'ongoing'.