Coach stopped by armed police

London Evening Standard/London

Police surround the Megabus near Lichfield, Staffordshire, yesterday

Armed police swooped on a coach on the M6 toll in an anti-terrorist raid yesterday.Counter-terrorism officers surrounded the vehicle at 8.20am after reports that a man was seen pouring liquid into a bag which was smoking. They were later supported by army troops.Passengers on the London-bound coach were ordered off the vehicle at gunpoint amid extraordinary scenes on the highway in Staffordshire.The 48 passengers were ordered off and guarded by marksmen. The Megabus was travelling from Preston to London. Police later said a report of vapour escaping from a bag which led to the security alert was caused by “a health improvement aid for smokers”.The motorway which was closed between junctions T3 and T4 near Lichfield has now reopened and police said they were no longer treating the incident as suspicious.About four hours after armed officers arrived, police confirmed the scene as safe.The passengers have been allowed to continue their journey to London, although some have chosen to return north, to Manchester.A police spokesperson said: “We received a report from a genuinely concerned member of the public about suspicious activity on a coach travelling on the M6 toll at Weeford, near Lichfield.“Given the nature of the report we responded swiftly and proportionately, treating the information as credible and extremely seriously. The M6 Toll carriageways were closed in both directions, the coach was directed to the hard shoulder of the motorway and armed officers calmly evacuated passengers with their full support and co-operation.“Following an initial assessment, we can confirm that no-one has been injured and that there is no danger to passengers at the scene or any other travellers who were on the motorway at that time.”