POLICE have confirmed that the suspicious package found in Manchester city centre contained no explosive device.
Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on the package and found a laptop and cables inside following an inspection.
Police were called to New York Street at around 7.30am this morning following reports that a suspicious package had been left outside the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly hotel.
A 100m cordon was established in the city centre and bus and tram services were severely affected.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here