THE Eiffel Tower was evacuated and the surrounding area put on lock-down for around an hour last night following a security alert in Paris.

Nearby roads were cordoned off and tourists described being locked inside the landmark while police and sniffer dogs investigated the scene.

8 The Eiffel Tower was on lock-down during a security alert earlier today Credit: Reuters

8 Police rushed to the scene and cordoned off the surrounding area

8 A police cordon surrounded the area around the Eiffel Tower

8 Police rushed to the Eiffel Tower after an incident

8 Tourists were stopped from getting close to the Tower

8 Tourists were locked INSIDE the lifts of the tower while the security operation was underway

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In a separate incident the Eurostar terminal of the Gare du Nord was also evacuated last night.

Images and video from the scene showed a police cordon surrounding the French capital's iconic landmark and the nearby area, with witnesses being approached by police.

One British tourist, Bob Thomas, said that he was locked inside the lifts with staff while the incident was ongoing.

Bob from Gravesend, said that Eiffel Tower staff told him a man was arrested at the scene by French police.

He also said that he had heard reports of a man "acting weird" on the second floor of the tower.

He tweeted that he and other tourists were "stuck in one of the legs outside the lift".

8 The restaurant inside the Eiffel Tower was almost empty on Friday night after many diners were evacuated Credit: BobThomas

8 Social media users said they saw police at the Trocadero and Bir Hakim

We just got to the Eiffel Tower & something has happened. Police everywhere 😩😭 — Janessa (@Janessa_x) September 1, 2017

Hearing from people who say they are inside #EiffelTower that someone was 'acting suspiciously' incident all now over. — Charlotte Dubenskij (@CDubenskij_RT) September 1, 2017

Adding that the area was on "full lockdown".

Many diners were evacuated from the iconic Restaurant 58 on the Tower's second floor.

One person tweeted: “#EiffelTower is shut off with a large security presence from Trocadéro - trying to see what if anything is going on…”

Another said: “#EiffelTower something not right?”

The tower was closed at around 8pm BST and reportedly reopened around 30 minutes later.

The Eurostar was closed earlier this evening due to a security alert , but has since been reopened.

Passengers at the scene say security officials found a suspicious package and ordered all passengers to leave the terminal.

France has been under a State of Emergency since the horrific attacks in November 2015 which left 130 innocent people dead.

Routine checks happen all the time, including stop-and-searches to crowds being moved back behind temporary police road blocks at major tourists spots, and mainline stations.

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