The Westgate Shopping Centre was evacuated yesterday afternoon after a “joke shop firework” was let off, right. The children’s toy was set off in clothes retailer Primark and led to the entire centre being evacuated at about 3.50pm for approximately 40 minutes.
Westgate general manager Brendan Hattam said: “We had to evacuate as a precaution because we had a little bit of smoke in the Primary unit which was caused by a joke shop firework – the kind of thing you would buy in a joke shop.
“We have been speaking to the fire service and police and we are reviewing CCTV. “It looks like a prank.”
He said any prosecution would only come following discussions with Primark and the Thames Valley Police, which last night said it was not yet investigating yesterday’s incident.
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