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Vigilance urged over Tesco threat | |
(20 minutes later) | |
Police have urged shoppers to be "vigilant at all times" after threats forced 14 Tesco stores to shut. | |
Police closed the shops across the UK on Saturday afternoon but they reopened for normal trading on Sunday. | |
Hertfordshire Police, which is leading the investigation, said each store had been searched and given the all-clear. | |
"There is still no reason to believe that the incidents are linked to extremism of any kind," the constabulary added. | |
One line of inquiry is of a possible financial motive behind the threats. | One line of inquiry is of a possible financial motive behind the threats. |
The supermarket giant is understood to have lost millions of pounds in sales as the 14 stores were forced to shut. | |
Hertfordshire Police said the stores were closed on Saturday as a precaution and no-one had been hurt. | |
Tesco is continuing to work closely with police, it added. | |
'Go home' | 'Go home' |
One store in Barnes, south west London, reopened on Saturday evening. | |
Tesco stores were closed in Port Talbot, south Wales, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, and Market Harborough and Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. | Tesco stores were closed in Port Talbot, south Wales, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, and Market Harborough and Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. |
Other branches shut down were in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk; Hucknall, Notts; Hereford and Ledbury, both in Herefordshire; and Barnes, south west London. | Other branches shut down were in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk; Hucknall, Notts; Hereford and Ledbury, both in Herefordshire; and Barnes, south west London. |
It came over the tannoy that we were asked to leave - basically, go to the cashier, pay for your groceries and then leave Martin Jacklin, Tesco customer | It came over the tannoy that we were asked to leave - basically, go to the cashier, pay for your groceries and then leave Martin Jacklin, Tesco customer |
And some Scottish branches of the supermarket were also closed in East Renfrewshire and Fife. | And some Scottish branches of the supermarket were also closed in East Renfrewshire and Fife. |
Other stores were closed in regions covered by the Lancashire and Humberside police forces. | Other stores were closed in regions covered by the Lancashire and Humberside police forces. |
Darren, an employee from the Ashby de la Zouch store, said staff were told to evacuate the shop. | |
"We were allowed to go back in to get our belongings," he said. "We had to be as quick as we possibly could. | "We were allowed to go back in to get our belongings," he said. "We had to be as quick as we possibly could. |
"We were informed briefly that the store was going to be closed for the rest of the day and we could go home straight away." | "We were informed briefly that the store was going to be closed for the rest of the day and we could go home straight away." |
Martin Jacklin was shopping in a Tesco store in Hucknall, Notts, when shoppers were told to take to vacate the premises. | |
He said: "Me, the wife and the children were in there, basically just doing a normal shop and it came over the tannoy that we were asked to leave, basically, go to the cashier, pay for your groceries and then leave. | He said: "Me, the wife and the children were in there, basically just doing a normal shop and it came over the tannoy that we were asked to leave, basically, go to the cashier, pay for your groceries and then leave. |
A spokeswoman from Hertfordshire Police said the force was leading the nationwide "criminal investigation" because the retailer has its headquarters in the county. | |