STAFF were evacuated from the Royal Mail sorting office in Farnworth today amid fears a letter bomb had been discovered.

Police were called to the depot in Stone Hill Road just after 12.30am after staff alerted them about the suspicious A4 sized package.

Chief Inspector Charlie Bradshaw confirmed the package, which is thought not to have been addressed, had been removed by officers for examination by experts.

He added: "Lettering on the package alerted staff to possible danger and we were called out immediately.

"It's standard practice for us to remove the package and take it out of the postal system. There's no great danger with handling these devices.

"They travel through the postal system and and won't go off provided they're not opened. Normally they're relatively safe to handle."

Special branch officers are due to examine the package later today. The parcel will be X-rayed to establish if there is any device inside it.

Royal Mail staff were allowed back into the sorting office on the Express Trading Estate after the package had been taken away, shortly after 1.30am.

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