Bomb squad determine 'grenade' found in Arcades Shopping Centre to be fake

All areas are now back open and bomb disposal have left the scene after discovering the 'grenade' found earlier today was not real.

The item was discovered amongst items donated to the YMCA charity shop in the Arcades shopping precinct at around 1:15pm today.

Nearby shops were evacuated and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) attended the scene to examine the suspected explosive.

An arrest was made at the scene but it is believed to be unrelated to the grenade left at the shop.

Stagecoach driver Chris Liddle had finished duty at 1:30pm however was still directing people away from the building at 4pm.

"Keeping the public safe is our biggest priority," he said, "It's not your typical day in Ashton is it!"

The 'training device' hand grenade is now not thought to pose a risk to the public.