A BUSY road was closed and shops evacuated after a suspicious package which turned out to be a businessman's briefcase.

Emergency services were alerted by store management at Aldi on the new business and commercial park in North Valley Road, Colne, at 2.40pm yesterday.

A police spokesman said: "We got a message that a suspicious package had been left in the packing area of the store."

Shoppers and staff were evacuated from the shop and a short time later people were also asked to leave nearby buildings.

A Ministry of Defence bomb disposal squad set off from base in the Merseyside area and traffic leaving the motorway was diverted through the town centre as North Valley Road was closed.

Before the Army team arrived the emergency measures were called off when a member of the public approached police so say he thought he may have been responsible.

The police spokesman said: "He apologised and said he had left the briefcase there in error."

The bomb squad was turned back and the alarm was officially called off at 3.36pm four minutes short of an hour before it began.