Pret evacuated after man sprays unknown substance over another customer

A Pret a Manger café was evacuated earlier today following reports that a man threw an unknown "substance" over another customer.

Police and fire crews attended the incident at the premises on Oxford Street in Manchester at around 1.15pm. Witnesses reported that the venue was evacuated temporarily and customers were urged to leave.

It followed reports that an unknown substance had been thrown at someone from a bottle inside the store. Reports say a male customer had sprayed the substance over another customer's legs before leaving the scene without paying for food.

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But the substance was later deemed to be a weak liquid, and it was established that no injuries were reported, the Manchester Evening News reported. Police are now treating the incident as a robbery, and investigations are ongoing.

One post shared by a customer on Reddit said the cafe had been evacuated, adding: "[It] happened before I went in and before the cavalry arrived to clear the place. It didn't look much but then the cops and fire services came and evacuated while I was eating my butty, they didn't know what it was at the time."

The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they were called to assist police with the incident at around 1.15pm and that investigations are ongoing. No arrests have yet been made in connection with the incident.

The Mirror has contacted Pret for comment.