Luton's The Mall evacuated as part of a training exercise

Shoppers were given the announcement this morning that the shopping centre was closing "as a safety precaution".

Stories have appeared on social media claiming coronavirus and security threats are the cause.

Beds Police has confirmed the evacuation is part of The Mall's regular training exercise, and is not an emergency.

It is understood The Mall did not inform police in advance that the evacuation was taking place.

The Mall has since tweeted: "Please be reassured the evacuation was part of an organised drill."

The "organised drill" comes less than a week after a serious bomb scare in Bury Park on Friday, March 6 (see here) in which two people were arrested.