A woman has been charged over a security scare that led to the evacuation of shoppers from Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall yesterday afternoon.

A 39-year-old Collingwood woman was arrested around 1:00am (AEST).

She has been charged with making a bomb hoax, false report to police and using a telecommunication device to menace.

The mall was closed for almost two hours yesterday and workers in nearby stores said they were told by police to stay inside and not go near the entrance of their shops.

She has been remanded in custody to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today.