Kensington High Street was placed on lockdown tonight after a bag found inside a restaurant sparked a security scare.
Police closed a large section of the road, at the junction with Kensington Church Street, just after 6.30pm on Tuesday over reports of a suspicious package.
A spokesman told the Standard that officers investigated the package which was later ruled to be non-suspicious.
The cordon was lifted shortly before 8pm.
He said: "Police were called to reports of a suspicious bag in High Street Kensington.
"A cordon has been put in place while officers investigate."
Dramatic images on Twitter showed a section of the busy high street sealed off, close to the Isreali Embassy.
Panicked commuters described the area as being “on lockdown”.
Shops and restaurants were evacuated by police after a bag was found close to restaurant in Kensington Court.
A waiter at one restaurant, who asked not to be named, said: "The police came in and asked us to leave because they'd found a suspicious bag.
"They said it was just standard procedure."
Kensington and Chelsea police tweeted: "Thank you for your patience whilst we dealt with an unattended bag left in a restaurant on #Kensington High St. Found to be non-suspicious.
MORE ABOUT