THE Royal Mail sorting office in Sheep Street, Devizes, was evacuated on Monday morning when staff found a suspicious package.

The office was cordoned off just after 5.30am for almost two hours while an Army bomb disposal unit was sent out.

Concern was raised by the staff because written on the outside of the package were comments relating to the safety of animals.

The package was addressed to a mail order betting business and had a post mark from the south of England.

After examining the package, bomb disposal officers did not feel it was appropriate to undertake a controlled explosion. Inside the parcel was a four-inch piece of slate wrapped in cardboard. Sgt Dave Garrod of Devizes police said: "Nothing suspicious was found in the package but there was concern that it could be something to do with animal rights groups."

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "Disruption was kept to a minimum.

"Although there was nothing serious found in the package we would rather be safe than sorry.

"We have a high state of vigilance throughout Royal Mail. Our staff are trained to spot anything suspicious and if they have concerns we will contact the police. It's fair to say that the state of security is high at the moment and has been since September 11 2001."