Suspected Thames bomb turns out to be giant Christmas bauble

Police attending the scene found that the suspected bomb was a false alarm. Credit: PA

It's certainly shaped like a bomb and from a distance it's not difficult to see why it could have been mistaken for an unexploded one.

In fact passersby were so alarmed, they called the police who discovered the object was in fact a washed up giant glittery bauble.

The Christmas ornament was discovered near Wapping, east London.

After it was inspected and officers “luckily” discovered no threat, Tower Hamlets police took to Twitter to joke about the incident, accompanied by festive emojis.

The Hackney police Twitter account replied: “That is a Wapping great bauble.

"Fortunately not as given, but shows as our training teaches us expect the unexpected.''

The incident comes less than a week after an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered in Kingston-Upon-Thames, south west London.

Students from Kingston University and nearby homes had to be evacuated while a specialist team disposed of the device.

A police cordon on Victoria Embankment, London, as a suspected unexploded Second World War bomb was found in the River Thames, London in 2017. Credit: PA