Hundreds of students and teachers have been evacuated from Anglia Ruskin University as police investigate a suspicious package.

Police, fire crews and a specialist bomb disposal squad were in attendance at East Road in Cambridge city centre following a tip off about the bomb scare.

Richard Smith, 46, of Ipswich, who works in the building for Bupa Health Dialog, said: “We were supposed to be having a fire drill today anyway and then they said it’s not a fire drill, this is the real thing.

“All we know is there was a suspicious package found.”

The road was still closed at 5.25pm between Dover Street and Parker’s Piece.

Anglia Ruskin University remained closed, including student accommodation, forcing students to mill around until they could get back in.

Jemima Willcox, a third year photography student at ARU, said: "I was working in the library when a member of staff came in and told us that there was a bomb scare and we had to evacuate the building.

"I am now stood near the Tram Depot as police have cordoned off the area.

"They seem to be trying to get something out of a water main as they are looking in a drain and pumping water out of it."

The nearby county court building was unaffected said court officials, although visitors were having to use the rear entrance for access.

A university spokesman said the evacuation affected the main Helmore Building on East Road.

He added it was the central ARU building housing mainly the arts faculty.

East Road was closed in both directions while a bomb disposal team from RAF Wittering attended after police were called at 1.17pm.

The package was detonated in a controlled explosion later on, and we were all let in, just in time for my lecture...

So it was actual explosives? And I love the last part HAHA. Just in time for your lecture. . . Coincidentally no less.

HAHA Love it! Surprisingly enough In Australia lectures are not compulsory, just tutorials, so I basically can narrow Uni down to 5 hours a week max, and all the lecture notes are placed online anyhow.