Overview
- British Transport Police received reports around 10:00 GMT of a suspicious bag at Manchester Piccadilly and put cordons in place as a precaution.
- Officers conducted checks and later confirmed the bag was non‑suspicious, and the incident was stood down.
- National Rail said all lines were affected following the alert, with cancellations, delays or revisions expected until about 11:15.
- The station reopened after the assessment, with passengers earlier evacuated from the concourse as specialist teams, including a search dog, worked at the scene.
- In a separate incident in Charlton on December 16, a suspected carbon monoxide leak at a Marks & Spencer led to a major incident response, with about 30 people treated and 11 taken to hospital.