Emergency services were scrambled to Durham city centre after a hazardous materials scare at the Passport Office.
A passport was delivered to the office on the riverside which contained what was believed to be "potentially hazardous materials", police said.
Experts from the fire service analysed and tested the passport and concluded there was no cause for concern.
After being called to the scene shortly after 9pm, the emergency services were stood down at around 1am.
Pictures taken at the scene show multiple vehicles including an ambulance and an incident response unit.
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called by the police at 21:31 yesterday to reports of a hazardous material at the Durham Passport office.
"After examination of the substance it was concluded that there was no cause for concern.
"The incident was brought to a close shortly after 1am this morning."
