Dozens of people were evacuated from their homes after police discovered a suspected bomb in Birkenhead.
The suspicious device was found in an empty property in the town at around 5.30pm on Monday, but officials later said it had been a hoax.
Residents in Park Road East and Patterson Street, which backs onto the road, were moved to temporary accommodation after Merseyside Police installed a 100-metre cordon.
Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Logistical Corps were called to dispose of the suspected explosive.
A police spokesman said: “The Royal Logistical Corps have examined the device in the house in Park Road East and established that it is an imitation or hoax.”
The all-clear was announced at around 10.20pm and people returned to their homes shortly afterwards.
A police spokesman had earlier said the device was discovered by the landlord of a recently-vacated property that he had gone to check on at around 5.30pm.
The man reported his suspicions to the police and local officers closed the roads and evacuated homes within a 100-metre safety cordon.
PA
