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Suspicious item evacuation was false alarm

Sammy Jenkins & Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley
BBC News, Bristol
BBC Blue and white police cordon tape across a street in Bristol, with a police car on the right-hand side of the road. Cars parked on the left side of the road, with cream, pale green, beige and brown houses in the background. BBC
A specialist unit declared the item to be safe and seized it

A suspicious item discovered in a block of flats that led to homes being evacuated has been deemed safe.

Avon and Somerset Police were called to a property on Argyle Road, Bristol, at about 12:00 GMT and a cordon was put in place shortly afterwards.

Residents were asked to temporarily leave their homes by police and traffic was diverted as a precaution while a specialist unit examined the object.

The team declared the item to be safe and it was seized before residents were told they could return home at about 16:00.

Two police officers standing next to police tape on a road
The area was cordoned off for safety whilst a specialist unit examined the object

The force apologised for the disruption and said well-rehearsed plans were put in place to minimise any risk to residents.

"They were asked to evacuate out of an abundance of caution," a spokesperson said.

"We're sorry for the disruption but our priority must be keeping everyone safe.

"They did the right thing by calling us and we're grateful to them."

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