In pictures: Here's what happened in Northampton town centre today as 'suspicious object' caused hours of chaos and confusion

Here’s a round up of what happened after a “suspicious object” was found in Northampton town centre today, which caused the Market Square to be locked down for hours.

Northamptonshire Police were called to reports of a “suspicious object" found in the doorway of Parade House in Market Square at around 10am today (Tuesday, June 27).

Officers locked down Market Square and evacuated businesses within the cordon as hundreds of confused members of the public watched on.

Northamptonshire Police said on social media: “Emergency services are currently in attendance at an incident in The Parade, Northampton, after a suspicious object was found in the vicinity.

“Everyone in the immediate area has been evacuated as a precaution and there is no wider risk to the public.”

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EOD) arrived at the scene at around 11am to destroy the “suspicious object” via a human-controlled robot, which caused a loud bang that could be heard through the town.

Northamptonshire Police said at the time: “Members of the public in the local area may hear a loud bang in the next 30 minutes but this is expected and will be nothing to worry about.

“We hope to resolve this incident soon but would continue to advise people to avoid the area for the time being.”

A member of the EOD team dressed in a blast suit, similar to the one seen in Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker, approached the destroyed “suspicious object” and began to take pictures and investigate for around 15 minutes before leaving.

At around 12.45pm, around three hours after the incident began, the police cordon was lifted and the town centre was reopened after the object was declared by EOD as “not dangerous”, with it later being confirmed that the object was an “electrical cooking device”.

Northamptonshire Police added: “We have now lifted the cordon in the town centre following an assessment by the EOD which deemed the object to not be dangerous.

“We will however be progressing enquiries to find the person who left this item in The Parade and ascertain if any criminal offences were committed.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we dealt with this incident.”

The doorway outside Parade House remained cordoned off while police continued their investigations.

Normality resumed in Northampton town centre at about 1pm after around three to four hours of chaos and confusion.

Here is a round-up of pictures taken during the incident in Northampton town centre.