A large emergency service presence including the bomb squad swarmed a County Durham town last week and evacuated homes following reports of an "ordnance device".

The army's bomb squad and multiple police vehicles attended the parish of Eldon in Bishop Auckland just after 4pm on Friday (March 1) after what has been described as a "device" was found.

It is understood that homes on Office Row and around the Main Road area were evacuated whilst a 50m cordon was put in place for the safety of the public.

The Northern Echo: Bishop Auckland scene. Bishop Auckland scene. (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

Police have now confirmed that the device was a "practice" piece of ordnance and was removed from the area.

A spokesperson said: "Police were called at 4.15pm on March 1 after a piece of ordnance was discovered by a member of the public near the crossroads in Eldon.

"Experts from the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit were called and a 50m cordon was put in place as a precaution.

"The item was confirmed to be a practice device and removed from the location."

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One resident who lives in the area expressed her upset at the incident at the time.

She said: "The police have said that they're waiting for bomb disposal. Nobody knows what to do, it's really frightening.

"Earlier I heard two loud bangs but the police said they weren't connected. It didn't make me feel any better."