The passenger terminal at Luton Airport near London has been evacuated and flights suspended for several hours after a suspicious package was found.

The airport said the terminal building has been cleared "after a suspicious item was found in the security search area."

The evacuation left hundreds of passengers stranded outside the terminal for hours as emergency services continued to examine the suspicious item.

The airport said incoming flights were diverted to other airports and the approach road to the airport closed.

Budget airline EasyJet said five flights scheduled to land at Luton had been diverted to Stansted and Birmingham airports, and several flights had been canceled as a result of the security scare.

Luton, northwest of London, caters mostly to short-haul flights by budget airlines.