Residents have spoken of their shock after a bomb disposal squad carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious package found in a Sunderland alleyway.
Police descended on King's Place and Plaxton Terrace in the Millfield area of the city at 12.38pm and erected a large cordon.
Officers discovered an item they believed was potentially suspicious in an alley and evacuated a number of homes as a precaution.
A bomb disposal unit was called to the scene and deployed a robot to carry out a controlled explosion of the device. Northumbria Police has since said it believes the item was part of a hoax and offered no threat to the public.
Residents have told how they heard a loud bang while the area was swarmed with police.
One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I came back from walking the dog to see all the police and the bomb disposal unit. I couldn't believe it.
"The cordon was big and I saw the little robot. All of a sudden I heard a bang at around 3.30pm. It's scary to think something like this happening around here."
One man, who lives behind where the cordon was in place, said: "We heard the sirens but didn't expect them to be outside our door. All police told us was a package had been found in the alley. I'm just glad it's been safely dealt with."
A nearby resident added: "I was shocked to see such a big response. We were told to stay indoors so we didn't know what was happening until the loud bang. It's usually pretty quiet around here."
Emergency services left the scene at around 4.45pm with residents able to return to their homes.
Northumbria Police confirmed there were no injuries as a result of the incident and said the remains of the suspected hoax will now be looked at by forensics.
A spokeswoman said: "At 12.38pm today (Sunday), police received a report of a suspected suspicious item on Paxton Terrace in Sunderland.
"As a precaution, officers asked the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) to attend and a controlled explosion was subsequently carried out.
"The cordon has been removed and residents are now allowed back in their homes. We’d like to thank residents in the area for their patience and cooperation during the incident.
"After further assessment, we now believe the item to be part of a hoax and that it posed no threat to the public.
"Forensic analysis will be carried out on what is left of the item to see if those involved can be identified."
