HUNDREDS of workers were evacuated from a Royal Mail sorting office in Notts after suspicious packages were found.

The base in Padge Road, Beeston, was closed at 10am today and bomb disposal officers were called to the scene.

By 2pm, police confirmed that tests showed all six packages were not suspicious, and workers were allowed back into the building.

However, officers at the scene said the incident was being treated as a crime as the packages are thought to have contained threats.

Earlier today, one worker said: "Everyone is wondering what is going on - there is a lot of rumour-mongering."

A Notts police spokesperson said officers were called by Royal Mail at around 9.30am about "a number of packages" that appeared to be suspicious.

She said: "As a precaution, the building has been evacuated and the road has been cordoned off. The incident is currently ongoing."

Speaking at around 12.30pm, Adrian Lovejoy, area manager for Royal Mail in the East Midlands, said 200 people were evacuated.

He said: "The emergency services are now in control of the situation.

"A member of staff and a shift manager alerted us to the package. We expect to be back in [the building] in the next couple of hours."

Mr Lovejoy said he was unable to give details about what was suspicious about the package.

He said the delay would not affect first class and priority mail in Notts but that second class mail will have to be dealt with by other offices.

Chief Insp Andrew Charlton from Notts Police, who attended the scene, said: "Currently we have got fire services here to assess what we are dealing with here.

"Part of our activity is to assess what we have got and we are now waiting for the assessment. Suspect packages are not unknown. We evacuated as a precaution."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We have well rehearsed procedures for dealing with any such instances and will always involve the emergency services upon the discovery of any suspicious susbstances in the mail.

"The health and safety of our people is our prime concern."