Treating the matter seriously while impacting the public in as small a way as possible is how Waikato Police are describing their evacuation of the Hamilton Gardens early this afternoon.

Inspector John Kelly of the Hamilton Police said a non-specific threat was received via the independent, anonymous Crimestoppers crimeline about 1.35pm.

'There was very little specific information provided to the call centre other than to say there was a bomb in the gardens area.

'People who know the area will be aware it is a very large venue with several gardens and buildings so the most prudent step to take was to close down access to the facility and evacuate people from the area. From there an ongoing threat assessment was started and the process of clearing the gardens is underway.”

Mr Kelly says with weather as fine as what Hamilton was experiencing today the gardens had been visited by a large number of the public and Police are aware of the inconvenience that is caused by limiting access to such a popular facility.

Source: Waikato Police.