A terror alert recently paralysed a post office in the Siberian republic of Khakassia, after staff suspected one of the packages had a bomb in it. The contents turned out to be harmless, but pretty embarrassing.

The alleged explosive device was discovered on Tuesday in the region’s capital, Abakan.

A suspicious parcel started to vibrate menacingly when an operator took it. The staff decided to play it safe and called the police.

An hour later some 50 people including firefighters, bomb technicians and a crew from K-9 police unit had gathered to investigate. Residents of the building where the post office is located were evacuated.

After a sniffer dog failed to trace any explosives in the package, the officers decided to open it.

The contents turned out to be absolutely harmless – a vibrator which had accidentally turned itself on and given a scare to postal employees.

The addressee, whose name has not been revealed, took the sex toy after all the buzz was over.

Local police commented on the embarrassing incident saying it could easily have been avoided if the sender had taken the batteries out, as postal regulations require.