A bomb squad destroyed a suspicious package following an incident near a police station.

A 100-metre cordon was put up in Burgess Hill yesterday afternoon following reports of a suspect package near the station and a medical centre in Burgess Hill, with police snipers spotted on rooftops in the area.

An army bomb squad was called to the scene, near the American Express building in The Brow, and the suspicious package was destroyed.

Residents were evacuated from their homes and some roads nearby were closed as a precaution due to the incident.

A man has been arrested and is assisting officers with their enquiries.

A police spokesman said that officers responded to reports at 1.48pm yesterday (July 28).

He said: "A man has been arrested after a suspicious package was reported in The Brow, Burgess Hill.

"We can now confirm the Explosive Ordinance Disposal has successfully destroyed the suspicious package found."

Ambulances and firefighters from West Sussex Fire and Rescue were also called to the scene yesterday.

Final searches were carried out in the area before the cordon was lifted.