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A cordon was put up along Brompton Road in the central London area while officers from the London Metropolitan Police attended to the incident. The incident was reported at 2.22pm and officers remained in the scene for hours. The force said in a statement: “Police were called at 14:22hrs on Wednesday, 30 October, to reports of a possible noxious substance having been spilled at a commercial venue on Brompton Road.

“Officers and London Ambulance Service are on scene. Cordons and closures are in place as a precaution while the nature of the chemical is established. The incident is ongoing.” Vehicles were being turned away while what Twitter users have called a “huge police presence” deals with the incident. Fire engines were also on the scene. One user said: “So Harrods is closed down with Knightsbridge cornered off with police, fire engines and ambulances. #Harrods."

Harrods is on lockdown as police and paramedics have raced to Knightsbridge

Ambulances, police and fire engines are also on the scene

Another said Harrods has been evacuated. Another twitter user complained directly to Harrods in a tweet commenting on a bad smell in the lower floors of the famous department store. The user said: “@Harrods what’s the awful smell on the lower floors? is like a wet dog has died.” London Fire Brigade said it was called to a chemical incident at a single-storey restaurant and 15 members of staff had left the building before it arrived. READ NOW: Police officer rushed to hospital after being hit by car in Tottenham

One person was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said: "We were called to reports of an incident on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge. "We dispatched our hazardous area response team (Hart), an ambulance crew, a medic in a car and an incident response officer to the scene. "We treated a person at the scene and took them to hospital." DON'T MISS:

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Harrods has been evacuated

As well as the Harrods evacuation, 27 people were moved out of their flats A tweet from the Metropolitan Police read: “UPDATE: Road closures are being lifted on Brompton Road, #Westminster. “Officers remain on scene and cordons remain in place in the area immediately surrounding the incident.” Harrods said in a statement: "Following an earlier incident, unrelated to Harrods, the Harrods doors on the Brompton Road were temporarily closed at the request of the Met Police. Those doors have since re-opened and the store continues to trade as usual. Any questions regarding the incident should be directed to the Met Police for further information."

Harrods is one of the most famous shopping locations

The incident is believed to have taken place at a Kuwaiti restaurant. Police could not say whether the chemical was a stink bomb. In a later statement, the force said officers remained at the scene "of a possible chemical incident at a commercial premises at Brompton Road". It said road closures established as a precaution were being removed and a small cordon remained in place.

UPDATE: Road closures are being lifted on Brompton Road, #Westminster. Officers remain on scene and cordons remain in place in the area immediately surrounding the incident. More to follow… pic.twitter.com/mHjfcNiXpK — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 30, 2019