A19 at Portrack and Norton closed by fake severed hand Published duration 21 September 2017

image copyright Cleveland Police image caption 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.

Facebook thread on the subject attracted almost 300 comments.

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