HOMES in a north Suffolk village were evacuated for more than four hours earlier today after police were called to a suspected bomb, which proved to be flour in a bottle wrapped in tape with a watch attached.

Police set up a 100m cordon around the suspect bottle found in a cul-de-sac off the The Street at Rickinghall shortly before 2pm and evacuated over 10 homes.

The cordon was lifted at 6pm after a bomb disposal team found the white powder contained within the bottle was flour.

Insp Richard Hill, from Suffolk police, said a member of the public found a bottle shaped object wrapped in black tape and a digital watch strapped to it with wires going into the bottle in a remote part of the village.

He said the member of the public decided to call the police because the device looked suspicious and officers went to the scene and set up the cordon after confirming the suspicious device.

Insp Hill said he did not know what purpose the bottle served or why it had been left where it had, though he did not think it was a hoax as the area was quite remote and the object may not have been discovered.

He said police would conduct forensic tests on the bottle to glean more information.