There are reports of a bomb scare in Enfield Town.

According to reports, there is a security alert caused by a suspect bag left outside Cafe Nero in Palace Gardens, near Church Street.

Shops have been evacuated.

Police say they are looking at a "suspicious item" in Church Street.

People in the area say the item, thought to be a briefcase, has been destroyed in a controlled explosion.

Pani Apostolou who works in the Enfield Independent’s office in London Road, Enfield, said: “We heard a controlled explosion that sounded like a bomb.

“It wasn’t ridiculously loud, it didn’t shake the windows but there was definitely a bang.”

Update: The town has returned to normal after the suspect suitcase, which police say was not a bomb, was destroyed in a controlled explosion.