Tube bomb threat is a social media 'hoax' say police

WhatsApp message reading: "Don't travel on the tubes tomorrow. Every single police officer in the met has been called into work from 4am onwards, even people on holiday are being told to catch the next flight home. They think there's a terror threat and that it will happen on the tubes tomorrow around the west end area. So don't go travelling on tubes!! It's better to be safe than sorry. Send dis to All urs."
By Amelia Butterly
Newsbeat reporter

Did you get the text or WhatsApp message doing the rounds, warning you not to use the London Underground?

Probably coming from a well-meaning friend, the message claimed that all Metropolitan police officers had been called in to work to deal with a terrorism threat.

Now a police spokesman has said it is a rumour and there is no specific threat.

"Keep calm and carry on," said Ch Supt Paul Brogden from the British Transport Police on Twitter.

Twitter/@BTP_B_Division

He also retweeted a colleague from Battersea, who described the social media alert as a "hoax".

In addition he posted a link to a BBC News article about the UK terror threat.

On Friday Home Secretary Theresa May raised the level of threat from "substantial" to "severe" in response to conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

AFP/Getty Images

The new alert level rates the risk of an attack on the UK "highly likely", although Mrs May said there was no evidence to suggest one was "imminent".

It is the second highest of five possible UK threat levels.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are in talks about how to tackle the threat of Islamic extremists, with David Cameron expected to make an announcement about the introduction of new anti-terror laws.

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