The centre of Salisbury had been cordoned off as the bomb squad attend to a ‘credible bomb threat’.
Police were called at around 2.45pm, to reports of a suspicious package inside Cross Keys Shopping Centre.
A Wiltshire Poice spokesperson said: “The suspicious package has now been seized and is no longer deemed a threat. An investigation will now be carried out into the incident.”
The city centre area reopened the the public at around 7pm this evening.
Inspector Pete Sparrow said: “It is important that incidents of this nature are treated as a credible threat – the public’s safety must always remain our priority.
“I’d like to thank the public for their cooperation during this afternoon’s incident.
“I’d also like to extend a thank you to all local businesses, especially Bills restaurant and the Cathedral hotel who have assisted greatly, as well as the Salisbury Reds bus company who assisted in moving people out of the area.
“It’s really important during incidents of this nature that the public are following our official social media channels – this has played a vital part in today’s incident in getting important messages out to the public.