Waitrose Beaconsfield was evacuated and cordoned off for a number of hours last night as a bomb squad destroyed a "suspicious" package.

The police have now confirmed that the package contained a discarded and decomposed lithium battery inside it.

The package was found on top of the designated battery recycling bin as alarm bells started to ring with the shop being evacuated at around 3.30pm.

READ MORE: Bomb squad destroy 'suspicious package' at Waitrose following evacuation

Bucks Free Press: Waitrose BeaconsfieldWaitrose Beaconsfield

A bomb disposal vehicle was then seen entering the car park at around 6.30pm with Thames Valley Police (TVP) letting residents know on social media at 8.41pm that the incident had been dealt with.

ALSO READ: Britain's Got Talent finalist sings on rooftop for rainy Christmas Eve performance

Officers deemed the package "not to be malicious, but the package was destroyed as a precaution."

A TVP spokesman said: "Officers received reports of a suspicious package at Waitrose, Penn Road yesterday afternoon.

"The store was evacuated and the package was destroyed as a precaution.

"Officers believe the package was not related to anything criminal and no one was injured."

Listen to the NEW Thames Valley Crime and Court podcast now, covering Bucks, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Click here to listen for free.

For more of the latest court and crime news from around Bucks, be sure to sign up to the FREE weekly Crime & Court Catch Up

And don’t forget to join the Bucks Crime And Court Watch group on Facebook to keep up with breaking crime news and the latest outcomes from Bucks courts