POLICE have said that a suspicious object which brought Fareham town centre to a standstill is "difficult to describe".

Emergency services swooped on Fareham town centre on Thursday following reports of a suspicious package found near the Poundland store on West Street.

Shoppers and staff were all evacuated from Fareham Shopping Centre on Thursday afternoon and a bomb disposal unit rushed to the scene.

Paramedics and a crew of firefighters were also on standby to assist.

The emergency incident started at around 1pm with the cordon lifted shortly after 4.30pm.

Now, the police have said the object was "nothing hazardous" but could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

A spokesperson from the Force said the item was "difficult to describe" adding it was "a package of sorts".

Officers were not sure what the package was made out of, but confirmed it was not a discarded bag or sleeping bag.

On Twitter, Fareham Police said: "Just to follow up on yesterday’s incident in which a part of Fareham town centre was evacuated due to the discovery of a suspicious package.

"We once again thank you all for your patience and understanding, and for bearing with emergency services.

"There's been speculation online about what the package was made from, a lot of which is untrue.

We believe the item had been in situ for a lengthy period of time & enquiries by police and #EOD at the scene confirmed there was nothing explosive or hazardous in the package "This is a good reminder from us, whilst more people are out and about in the hot weather, to please do report anything suspicious or any suspicious activity to police.

"While on this occasion enquiries established there was no threat to the public, your safety is our priority so please do continue to report any suspicions to police so we can assess the situation."