Melbourne woman charged after CBD bomb hoax

A woman has been arrested over a bomb hoax which caused Melbourne's major retailers to evacuate their CBD stores yesterday afternoon.

Myer and David Jones were closed to shoppers for more than an hour while police performed a safety check in and around the Bourke Street mall.

A 39-year-old Collingwood woman was arrested about 1am this morning.

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

The woman was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court later today.