Security alert closes station
8:48pm Friday 27th July 2007
POLICE armed with sub-machine guns and shields searched a train at Swindon station after receiving a report of a man with a suspicious package being aboard.
The man was seen on the 6.11pm train to Paddington, but after searching officers didn't find him.
Insp Paul Mills said: "We had a report of a suspicious male carrying a suspicious package.
"A full search has been made of the train and the surrounding buildings and the male wasn't found."
All trains ground to a halt and dozens of concerned passengers waited outside the barriers during rush hour Friday.
Heavily armed officers with machine guns rushed through the barricades at about 7pm while commuters watched on.
Five police cars were parked outside and rumours spread about bomb scares with passengers growing increasingly anxious as time passed.
At about 8pm, after officers had finished searching, the barricades opened and thankful commuters rushed to board trains.
One commuter, who did not wish to be named, said she was on the London train where the suspect was spotted. "We were on the train when it stopped," she said. "Supposedly there was someone on the train who shouldn't have been on it."
Another passenger said there had been an altercation on the train.
Peter Scarr, 62, from Highworth, who was waiting to pick up his daughter, felt frustrated that First Great Western (FGW) did not tell them what was happening.
"If they would put us in the picture people would be more understanding. Why wouldn't they tell us?We are grown ups.
"I presumed it wasn't a bomb scare or they would have evacuated the whole place," he said.
Andy Snow, from Bath, was waiting to collect his girlfriend.
"We had no idea what was happening and rumours were going around. It would have been nice if they had told us more," he said.
FGW was unavailable for comment.