Police evacuated the Royal Mail sorting office and surrounding buildings in Kenilworth at 8.15am as a precaution following the discovery of an unmarked parcel.

One member of staff told the Weekly News that he believed it could have been semtex.

Experts from the Royal Logistics Bomb Disposal Corp arrived on the scene at 10am and the road was reopened at 10.35am.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Our Kenilworth delivery office was evacuated at 8.15am this morning following the discovery of a suspect item of mail - police handled the situation and called in army technical experts to check the item.

"We have well-rehearsed procedures for dealing with any such instances and will always involve the emergency services upon the discovery of any suspicious substances in the mail. The health and safety of our people is our prime concern."

The public were asked to avoid the Barrow Road area during checks.

Mail deliveries were disrupted and customers were not able to collect their mail.

Read more about this story in Friday's Kenilworth Weekly News.