The mystery of what was sent to Beckenham’s MP that caused police to close parts of the town for hours remains unsolved.
The package was addressed to local MP Bob Stewart, who was in parliament at the time.
Brian Cooke, chairman of Beckenham Conservatives, confirmed that it was a “private gift” from someone MP Stewart had helped, but wouldn’t go further than that.
Speaking to News Shopper, he said: “If I knew what your girlfriend gave you for Christmas, then you wouldn’t want the world to know what she gave you.”
What had aroused suspicion, according to Mr Cooke, was that the package was delivered in a shoe box but was “significantly heavier than a pair of shoes”.
The shoe box, postmarked from the north of England and had no identification of the sender, was handed over to the police’s Anti-Terrorism’s Unit.
In a letter to neighbours, Mr Cooke wrote: “We shall, naturally, be further reviewing our security in light of this incident but it is hard to know how we can stop someone sending our MP an unsolicited and innocent thank you present for helping them.”
The roads were closed for about two and a half hours as staff from the nearby Marks and Spencer’s handed out water to the police at the scene.
MP Bob Stewart has been contacted for comment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here