Patients and staff were evacuated from a hospital after a device believed to be a hand grenade was discovered in the building.
The package was found by a member of staff at Southend Hospital, in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, this afternoon.
A hospital spokesman said the incident has now been resolved but the building remains on a "major internal incident."
It is believed the suspect package was found in the heart and chest clinic, located on the first floor of the building at 3.45pm. Only part of the hospital was evacuated.
Patients and staff are now in the process of returning to clinical areas, a hospital spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Essex Police said: “Police were at Southend Hospital following reports that an item that looks like a hand grenade had been found in the building.
“It was located by a member of staff just before 3.45pm today. This was on the first floor of the tower block. Officers have evacuated part of the building.”
A spokesman for Southend University Hospital NHS said: “The immediate incident at Southend University Hospital has now been resolved but the hospital remains on a major internal incident.
"Patients and staff who were evacuated as a precaution are now being moved back into clinical areas and work is resuming as normal."
Haylee Lee, who was visiting a relative in the hospital, tweeted: “Just been evacuated from Southend Hospital, bomb alert on second floor of tower block. Lots of police. Asked to move to a&e.
“Have a relative on second floor who is a patient & just being evacuated.”
