German police have defused explosives found at a Christmas market in Potsdam on Friday.

Brandenburg Police had been called to investigate a suspicious object and evacuated the surrounding area of the city, which is near Berlin.

Police said special forces were on site to examine the object, which was described by the Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten newspaper as a package measuring 40 cm (15.75 inches) by 50 cm that had been delivered to a pharmacy near the market.

Germany is on high alert for potential attacks after last year's deadly attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.