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An evacuation has been ordered of the courtyard outside the museum at Louvre where France Presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron planned to celebrate his election win.

Local media reports say that a sniffer dog discovered some kind of camera battery at his media tent - aka press room - at the iconic French landmark.

His press office confirmed the area had been evacuated because of a security alert - and is on lockdown.

The favourite for the Presidency was expected to speak there later today - before the suspicious item was found.

Armed soldiers have been displaying a strong presence alongside police in the area - with the country still on a knife-edge and state of heightened alert following a spate of terror attacks in the last 18 months.

(Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: Getty Images Europe)

"Following the detection of a suspicious bag, the 300 journalists (who were processing their accreditation), were asked to leave the area for security reasons and taken to a different area," said an official from Macron's campaign.

Paris Police said the precautionary measure was taken to carry out security checks.

(Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: Getty Images Europe)

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

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