Dorset Police have responded after a ‘suspicious’ box left outside a police station sparked a major alert which saw a building evacuated and a road cordoned off.

As reported, 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.

Her son and his friends found the box in a wooded area at Chickerell.

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

Dorset Police have since revealed that they did receive a phone call from a member of the public, informing them that the item was going to be left outside the station.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “We received a call from a member of the public reporting that they were leaving an item they had found in the woods nearby outside the police station. The member of the public left the item underneath a phone and left the area.”

The police spokesperson added: “Officers located the item and could not establish what it was. As is usual in such circumstances when an unidentified object is located that could potentially be suspicious, in the interests of safety whilst an assessment was made a cordon was put in place.

“The item was assessed and found to be nothing suspicious. The cordon was lifted at around 8.30pm.”

The cordonThe cordon (Image: NQ)

The woman said she had taken 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.”

The package left outside the stationThe package left outside the station (Image: Supplied)

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