Police are on the hunt for a man who said he had an explosive at the Tyne Tunnel before running off.
Officers were called to the tunnel after staff approached a man who was acting suspiciously at just before 10pm on Tuesday.
The man first claimed that he had an explosive before he retracted what we said and fled the area.
Police closed the tunnel as a precaution while specialist officers searched the area but no device was found. It is believed that the man's initial claim was false.
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "Shortly before 9.45pm yesterday (Tuesday), police received a report of a man acting suspiciously on the Tyne Tunnel footpath.
"When he was approached by Tyne Tunnel staff he initially claimed to have an explosive before retracting the claim and fleeing the tunnel.
"As a safety precaution, the Tyne Tunnel was temporarily closed whilst specialist officers conducted a thorough search of the area.
"No device was found and further enquiries supported the claim to be false.
"The Tyne Tunnel was reopened shortly after."
Enquiries are currently ongoing to locate the man and anyone with any information is asked to contact police quoting reference number 1303 of August 11, 2020.
