THE bomb squad was called out to a suspicious package near Darlington town centre, with residents evacuated and several roads sealed off.

The package was discovered at a property in Kendrew Street on Thursday afternoon and a 100-metre exclusion zone was put in place, police confirmed.

A section of the A68 between Bondgate and Northgate was closed, along with King Street and Kendrew Street as well as a section of Gladstone Street between North Lodge Terrace and North Road.

All roads have now reopened.

The Northern Echo:

Police cordon off Gladstone Street, Darlington. Picture: Matt Westcott

The Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal squad were on scene, along with an ambulance, marked and unmarked police cars and a fire engine.

A Durham Constabulary spokesman said on Thursday: “We would like to say thank you to those people who have been affected by the ongoing situation in Darlington.

“While this has not been declared to be a major incident, we appreciate it is causing significant disruption in the town centre and we expect those road and car park closures to be in place for the next few hours at least.

“We will bring the cordon down as quickly as it is safe to do so, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience.”

The Northern Echo:

Bomb disposal experts at Kendrew Street car park. Picture: Stuart Boulton

Just after 6.30pm, Durham Police tweeted: "UPDATE: All roads have now reopened and officers are standing down from the scene. We’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we and our partners dealt with the incident. Traffic is now returning to normal."

A nearby council building was evacuated as a safety precaution. Residents in the affected area were also evacuated.

It is understood a device which raised suspicion was found at the property and the cordon was put in as a procedural precaution.

The explosives experts are believed to have examined the package.

The Northern Echo:

The scene from North Lodge Park on the edge of Gladstone Street. Picture: Matt Westcott

Matt Westcott, Social Media Editor at The Northern Echo, speaking from the scene on Thursday afternoon, said: "One of the bomb disposal experts at the scene put on protective clothing and a helmet and headed into the cordoned off area around 5pm. Twenty minutes later he returned to the van and removed his protective gear and he, the police, fire and ambulance service are currently in a meeting. 

Video: Matt Westcott reports live from the scene on Thursday

"Paramedics are wearing helmets and the fire brigade are on standby. All the police have been handed fluorescent jackets so it looks like they might be here for the long haul."

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council confirmed that council offices on Gladstone Street, where about 160 people are based, had been evacuated.

"We are liasing with the police as needed," she said.