Several roads have been closed and buildings evacuated after two suspicious packages were said to have been sent to a Jewish council leader in Hertfordshire.
Prior to the incident in Borehamwood today, Hertsmere Council leader Jeremy Newmark had been subject to a death threat, which remains under investigation by police.
Mr Newmark was not at the civic centre when the suspicious envelopes arrived, but council staff immediately alerted emergency services, according to Jewish News.
Bomb disposal experts were then called to the scene at around 4pm this afternoon.
Police urged members of the public to avoid the area while investigations continued.
Road closures were put in place around Shenley Road, Manor Road and Studio Way, while classes at the nearby Venue sports centre were cancelled.
A Hertsmere Council spokesman said: “Officers attended and put a 100-metre cordon in place – the offices were evacuated and closed, and residents in nearby properties were also asked to evacuate.
“Hertsmere opened a reception centre at The Venue leisure centre for residents. The large cordon has now been lifted but remains in place around the Civic Offices and police station as the incident is ongoing.
Police urged members of the public to avoid the area while investigations continued
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“We have accordingly stood down the reception centre. We will provide a further update if the council offices have to remain closed tomorrow. We thank the public for their patience at this time.”
The incident comes almost a year to the day after a major emergency response in Borehamwood, involving the discovery of another suspicious object on August 18, 2025.
It saw emergency services called to Cowley Hill after reports of a potentially dangerous item.
Residents were evacuated from their homes and a 100-metre cordon was established around the area, where the restrictions meant many people were unable to return home for several hours.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit was called to assess the object, where police later carried out controlled explosions as part of the operation.
In a statement at the time, a police spokesman said the explosions were conducted before the item was declared safe and removed from the scene that evening.
The latest incident has again prompted disruption in the area, while further details about the nature of the packages and whether they were connected to the reported death threat have not yet been established.
Police investigations continue.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham last month shared his stance on antisemitism in Britain detailing a zero-tolerance approach and affirming the assertion that there is no contradiction between fighting antisemitism and disagreeing with actions of the Israeli government.
A spokesman for The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership said: “However, antisemitism cannot be confronted without addressing all its drivers. In today’s Britain, this includes Islamist, far-left and far-right extremists who go beyond criticism of the Israeli government to a place of hatred directed at Jews and Israelis.
“These voices build on distorted or one-sided portrayals of the situation in Gaza and its causes and ceaseless attempts to single out the world’s only Jewish state.
“Andy Burnham knows first-hand the links between hatred of Israel, antisemitic extremism and deadly violence against British Jews. In a country in which antisemitism has become more normalised, more extreme and more violent, we call on our leaders to show the utmost care in their rhetoric in relation to the conflict.”