The suspected bomb found in Hove cemetery this morning turned out to be a metal ornament.
The suspicious object was reported to police at about 11.30am and a section of the cemetery, in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, was cordoned off.
Sussex Police officers called in bomb disposal experts from the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.
There were concerns that homes near by may have to be evacuated should a controlled explosion prove necessary.
Houses in Elm Drive, Rowan Avenue and Stapley Road are all near the section of the cemetery that was sealed off.
The Army EOD team examined the graveyard find, which looked similar to a Second World War shell, and declared it to be an old piece of metal.
The public was readmitted to the area from about 1.30pm.