A hotel was evacuated in Waterford City this evening following a bomb threat.

Gardai received a call just before 7.00pm and alerted the manager of the hotel.

302 guests were staying in Treacy’s Hotel on the Quay at the time.

The building was searched and the scene was declared safe at 8.30pm.

John Treacy, the General Manager and owner of the hotel, told WLR News that “Gardai received a call telling them that there was a device in the hotel and that it was going to go off within the next hour”.

He said that Gardai contacted him directly and he immediately started evacuating the hotel. “The Gardai arrived about two minutes after that and we continued the evacuation. It took just under nine minutes for 302 guests.”

John Treacy says thankfully nothing was found. He said his Night Manager Bartholomew, who was working in the bar at the time, volunteered to help in the search.”Both of us know the hotel inside and out. We split up into two teams and we went with the Gardai and the Fire Officers and searched every nook and cranny of the hotel, every bedroom, anywhere that anybody could possibly hide anything.” He added that at 8.30pm it was “deemed safe to re-enter the hotel”.

The Quay and Bridge Street were closed to traffic while the incident was ongoing but have now reopened.

Gardai are investigating the incident and are appealing to anyone with information to contact them on 051 305300.