Woman tells of object left outside Weymouth Police Station

The box - containing items including batteries and a circuit board had been placed outside Weymouth police station off Radipole Lane by a woman who claimed she had informed the force she was leaving it there.

It had been found earlier in the day by her son and his friends in a wooded area at Chickerell.

However it caused an alert leading to the police station being evacuated and a road being closed for more than three hours.

Police closed the road off the Wessex Roundabout leading to the Bob Lucas Stadium, the police station and Wessex Golf Centre around 5.15pm on Thursday.

A police cordon was set up with two officers on the scene.

Wessex Golf Centre was forced to close early as no one could access the venue.

Dorset Police said at the time it was due to an 'unknown object, adding: "As is usual in such circumstances, in the interests of safety whilst an assessment is made, a cordon has been put in place and a building has been evacuated as a precaution."

Cordon (Image: NQ)

The cordon was finally lifted around 8.30pm after police said there was no threat to the public.

A woman has now revealed what was actually inside of the box and how it got there.

She said: “My son and his friends were walking home from school, they cut through the woods at Chickerell which is when they found a clear plastic box filled with all sorts of things."

She described the contents as looking like "batteries, wrapped tins, a circuit board and things wrapped in black bags" adding: "It was really suspicious."

She phoned Dorset Police on 101 and said she offered to take it to the police station which was agreed by the operator.

The woman said she took the box to the station but it appeared to be closed so she used a phone outside and informed police she would be leaving it there. It was placed in a supermarket carrier bag at the entrance.

She said: “I told them I was leaving it there and they told me it was fine. I then had to fill out a form when I got home.”

Later, she was contacted by police to ask if she had left a package at the police station.

The 'suspicious package' (Image: Supplied)

The woman said she was embarrassed as it had caused such an alarm but said she was proud of her son and his friends for telling her about the box.

She said: “The boys did the right thing, I’m so proud of them.”

After the cordon was lifted, a spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “The item was assessed and found to be nothing suspicious.

“It was left by a member of the public in good faith and there was no threat to the public. The cordon was lifted at around 8.30pm.”