Portsmouth bomb scare: Police confirm 'suspicious package' found in Portsmouth was not an explosive device

The Hard in Portsmouth was cordoned off last night following the discovery.

Police were called at 8.10pm yesterday and the roads in the area were shut, while train services terminated at Portsmouth and Southsea station instead and the Gosport Ferry was also disrupted.

A cordon remained in place for several hours before being lifted around 11pm.

The explosive ordinance disposal team attended the scene and disposed of the package.

A ‘bang’ was reported by residents as a controlled explosive was carried out.

In a post on Facebook, Portsmouth Police said: ‘The closures around The Hard have been lifted all traffic, buses, trains and the Gosport Ferry.

‘Thank you all for your patience.’

SEE ALSO: Pictures show scale of police presence at The Hard after discovery of 'suspicious package'

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that the ‘suspicious package’ was not an explosive device.

She said: ‘At 8.10pm on Sunday, April 10 officers received a report of a suspicious bag that had been found at The Hard.

‘As a precaution, the area was evacuated and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attended to carry out a controlled explosion.

‘The package was found to contain personal effects only.’

Recap all the updates in our live blog from last night here.