Tesco store in Portsmouth suddenly closed last night as firefighters arrived on the scene
Shoppers and staff had to be evacuated as the supermarket’s alarms sounded.
Everyone inside a Portsmouth supermarket was evacuated last night - putting a halt to late-evening shopping.
At the Tesco Extra in Clement Atlee Way, North Harbour, an alarm sounded out at roughly 9.30pm yesterday (Monday, April 20), with all staff and shoppers being forced out of the store. While everyone was stood outside, a fire engine pulled up outside the shop, with a handful of firefighters entering the scene.
Now, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service has told The News what happened - and thankfully, it looked far worse than it really was.
A spokesperson for the service said: “A crew from Cosham were called to a supermarket in Clement Atlee way at around half nine last night.
“Upon investigation it was found that the sounding alarm was caused by a system fault. Firefighters left the scene shortly before 10pm.”
In a fire emergency, always dial 999.