Police have questioned a man after part of Birmingham city centre was put on lockdown over a bomb scare.

Two suspicious packages were found, forcing Colmore Row and the area around St Philip's Cathedral to be sealed off at around 5pm on Saturday.

The area, busy with shoppers, remained closed off until the packages were checked and were confirmed not to be dangerous, with officers, some armed, surrounding the cordon.

A 51-year-old man was arrested on a bus on suspicion of causing a bomb hoax and remained in custody yesterday. Birmingham Police said in a statement:

"We quickly responded to reports of two suspicious bags being left at just before 5pm, with the street and nearby park sealed off as a precaution while checks were carried out.

"The items were found to not be suspicious and a 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a bomb hoax. The cordons were lifted in just over half an hour and we would like to thank everyone for their co-operation."