A terminal at Manchester Airport has been evacuated after a security alert over a suspect bag.

Passengers were evacuated from both the arrivals and departures in Terminal two after an "unattended bag" was discovered outside the building.

After an investigation, the bag was cleared and found to "pose no threat", the airport later said in a statement.

An empty area of Manchester Airport following an evacuation (Aqib Ishtiaq/ Twitter ) (Aqib Ishtiaq/ Twitter)

The terminal is now in the process of being reopened. No flights have been affected by the incident.

"As always, the safety and security of our passengers and staff is paramount, and we appreciate the patience of those affected tonight," the airport said in a statement.

The airport said that the area had been cordoned off and partially evacuated as a "precautionary measure".

A number of passengers reported over social media that the terminal had been cleared and posted pictures of large crowds exiting the area.

Aqib Ishtiaq said: “Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport has been evacuated. We’ve been told to move to the far back of the car park.”

Khawer Ishtiaq told the Manchester Evening News he saw police cordoning off a roundabout near the terminal at around 6.45pm.

He said: "The people leaving for flights have not been allowed to leave the departure lounge either.I tried to walk towards my car and a guy from the airport said to get away from the glass."