A19 at Portrack and Norton closed by fake severed hand

The offending item was "realistic looking", police said

It wasn't handy for drivers, but a suspicious item which closed part of the A19 did turn out to be 'armless.

Cleveland Police shut a lane near Stockton on Tuesday evening after an "eagle-eyed" driver spotted something odd in the central reservation.

Officers found the object was in fact a "realistic looking" fake severed hand and reopened the northbound lane between Portrack and Norton.

A Facebook thread on the subject attracted almost 300 comments.

"Told you the handcuffs were too tight," one user quipped.