Update 07:20 am:

The building was searched and deemed a hoax at 20:30 on 13th Septemeber.

Full credit #Emergency services #Waterford on rapid & professional response hoax #bomb scare! I hope perpetrator is pursued, caught & faces full wrath #justice system for this irresponsible & malicious act causing unnecessary response of on call life saving resources 😤 https://t.co/vrrkWx4x5P — Eddie Mulligan (@MulliganEddie) September 14, 2018

Thankfully, a hoax. Aggravating that so much emergency service time gets wasted like this. #Waterford pic.twitter.com/SlUCXyvkrt — Dermot Keyes (@DermotKeyes) September 13, 2018

Update 11:35pm: Fiona Weldon who hosts a weekly Thursday night Slimming world class at the Hotel and said everyone was shocked when they were told they had to leave:

Update 10pm: A hotel was evacuated in Waterford City this evening following a security threat.

Three hundred and two guests were staying in Tracey’s Hotel on the Quay at the time.

Gardai received a call just before 7pm and alerted the manager.

The building was searched and the gardaí declared the alert a hoax at 8.30pm tonight.

A Garda spokesperson said: “The area has been declared safe and gardaí are standing down.”

John Tracey, the General Manager and owner of the hotel, said: “The gardaí got a phone call to say that there was a device in the hotel and it’s going to go off within the next half an hour.

“I got a phone call from the sergeant that was on duty, he has my personal number, and I started evacuating everybody from the hotel.

“The gardaí started arriving about two minutes after that and we continued to evacuate. The evacuation of everybody took just under nine minutes for 302 guests.”

Earlier: Emergency services are currently dealing with an incident on the Quay in Waterford.

Security alert at Treacy's Hotel on The Quay in #Waterford. The building has been evacuated. pic.twitter.com/jWpSsWfjtr — Dermot Keyes (@DermotKeyes) September 13, 2018

Garda to sweep Treacy's Hotel and it will take an hour. Guests being brought to Dooley's Hotel. — Dermot Keyes (@DermotKeyes) September 13, 2018

Busses are now leaving from railway station in Waterford as security alert continues — Jonathan Ryan 📷 🎙🚨 (@Tipperaryphotos) September 13, 2018

Serious traffic congestion is reported as a result of the incident.

People are asked to avoid the city centre for now.

Gardaí have alerted us to an incident on the Quay towards the Bridge St area. Traffic backup is considerable. Please avoid the area if you can. #waterford — Waterford Council (@WaterfordCounci) September 13, 2018

More as we get it….