Railway station shut amid alert

Birmingham International railway station was shut for two hours during rush hour on Friday morning after a "suspicious item" was found there.

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on the package, which was found outside the station.

Officers were called to the station, which serves the city's airport, after reports a man was acting suspiciously.

A man is now helping police with inquiries on an unrelated matter.

Train services continued running through the affected station while it was closed, although none stopped there.

The spokeswoman said the station and its car park were closed at about 0730 BST and were reopened just after 1000 BST.