Security alert-Customers take their PLATES with them as they are evacuated from Westfield Shopping Centre in east London
Scores of people head for the exits after smoke curtains were pulled down
Thousands of shoppers had to be evacuated from Westfield, Stratford amid a security alert.
Diners in one of the centre's canteens said they were asked to leave their food and exit immediately as alarms rang and told that the 'smoke curtains' had been pulled down as alarms rang.
Despite the warning some visitors of the popular chicken restaurant Nando's picked up their plates and took them outside to continue eating after being forced out much to one social media user's shock.
Shopper Louis Jambon took to Twitter to broadcast the evacuation and her shock that Nando's diners took their food out with them
The reason for the evacuation of the largest shopping urban centre in Europe on Friday evening is not yet clear, but some shoppers also took to Twitter and Instagram to bemoan the amount of time it took to get out into the open.
Shopper Jenni Robinson wrote: 'Dear Westfield, Hope there isn't an actual fire because we would fo'sho all die. You should probably work on that.'
Despite the alert the London Fire Brigade and London Metropolitan Police said that they were not called to the scene.
Shops were closed for around half-an-hour before an announcement was made that the centre was 'operating as normal'.
One Twitter user called 'Meghan' posted; 'There's a fire in Westfield and we're being evacuated.'
Another user said: 'Just evacuated from Westfield. Alarms going off, police and lots of people wonder what happened???.'
The shopping centre was opened in the build up to the 2012 Olympic games held in Stratford and features scores of high-end shops, restaurants and bars, a cinema and casino.
Security guard part of the shopping centre during the evacuation
The shopping centre from the outside (FILE PHOTO)
Diners in one of the centre's canteens said they were asked to leave their food and exit immediately as alarms rang and told that the 'smoke curtains' had been pulled down as alarms rang.
Despite the warning some visitors of the popular chicken restaurant Nando's picked up their plates and took them outside to continue eating after being forced out much to one social media user's shock.
Shopper Louis Jambon took to Twitter to broadcast the evacuation and her shock that Nando's diners took their food out with them
The reason for the evacuation of the largest shopping urban centre in Europe on Friday evening is not yet clear, but some shoppers also took to Twitter and Instagram to bemoan the amount of time it took to get out into the open.
Shopper Jenni Robinson wrote: 'Dear Westfield, Hope there isn't an actual fire because we would fo'sho all die. You should probably work on that.'
Despite the alert the London Fire Brigade and London Metropolitan Police said that they were not called to the scene.
Shops were closed for around half-an-hour before an announcement was made that the centre was 'operating as normal'.
One Twitter user called 'Meghan' posted; 'There's a fire in Westfield and we're being evacuated.'
Another user said: 'Just evacuated from Westfield. Alarms going off, police and lots of people wonder what happened???.'
The shopping centre was opened in the build up to the 2012 Olympic games held in Stratford and features scores of high-end shops, restaurants and bars, a cinema and casino.
Security guard part of the shopping centre during the evacuation
The shopping centre from the outside (FILE PHOTO)
Comments