Granada Anfield

Liverpool's Anfield stadium has been evacuated after two men went missing while going round the stadium on tour.

There have been local reports of a bomb scare and other tourists have been evacuated. Many had to leave their cars behind and are unsure whether the stadium will re-open tonight.

Liverpool FC has released new time-lapse footage capturing Anfield’s transformation since work began on the redevelopment of the Main Stand.

The footage shows how the expansion has taken shape since construction work got underway in January and includes key moments such as the lifting of the new 650 tonne roof truss and the installation of the first concrete sections of the new upper tier.

Towering high above the existing Stadium, the redeveloped Main Stand is set to comprise three tiers, adding around 8,500 seats and taking the overall capacity of Anfield to around 54,000.

With more than 3,000 tonnes of steel already erected at Anfield, the Main Stand expansion project is scheduled to be completed during the 2016/17 season – creating one of the largest single stands in European football.

Roads in the Anfield area of Liverpool have been cordoned off by Police this morning after a minor explosion caused a car to catch fire.

Emergency services were called to the incident at around 3.45 am but the fire had extinguished itself by the time they reached the scene.

No-one was injured during the incident and no major damage was caused but explosives experts are at the scene to ensure the area is safe.

A full investigation into the incident is underway to establish the cause of this minor explosion.

Police expect the area to be closed for the next couple of hours.

Liverpool City Council has approved plans to expand Anfield Stadium's capacity to around 54,000.

The plans, which are still subject to conditions and legal agreement, would see 8,500 seats added to the Main Stand, and an extra 4,000 to the Anfield Road stand.

Construction could begin on the main stand soon, and be completed by the 2016/17 season.

Liverpool FC’s Chief Executive Officer, Ian Ayre, said: “Today’s approval by the Planning Committee is another step on our journey which we embarked on nearly two years ago.

“We’ve received very positive support for our proposals during a public consultation exercise earlier this year and whilst we are delighted about the progress made today, there are still some steps that we need to navigate through in order to give us the certainty that we need to proceed with our expansion plans.”

Liverpool football club has submited a planning application to redevelop their stadium.

The Anfield main stand and Anfield Road stand will be enlarged.

It would boost the total capacity to 58 thousand.

The club expect the plan to go before the planning committee later this year.

The club crest would be on the front of the main stand and a carefully designed cloister would become the new home for the Hillsborough Memorial.

There would also be a wide public space to link the stadium and park which could be used by the local community, particularly on non-match days.

Construction could begin early next year and be completed for the 2016/17 season.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: 'This is a hugely important part of our vision for Anfield – to create a thriving community in which people want to live, work and visit.

The Hillsborough charity match at Anfield has ended 2-2, after a last minute Robbie Fowler penalty levelled up the scores.