ROYAL Mail employees were evacuated from a North Yorkshire sorting office after a fellow worker held a knife to his throat and threatened to harm himself.

Police were called to the sorting office in Claro Road, Harrogate, just after midnight today and immediately escorted about 20 night staff out of the building.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the man holding the knife to his throat, a 46-year-old local to the Harrogate area, had minor cuts to his wrists.

Police "contained the area" before speaking to the man and it was not until after 1.30am that they managed to restrain him.

The spokesman said: "He was spoken to and eventually arrested and taken to Harrogate Police Station. There were no injuries to police officers or postal workers."

Soon after being arrested, the man was released without charge.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said that the man had not been at work for some time and was not expected in to work last night. He did, however, arrive at the sorting office at about midnight.

The spokesman said that the man and other staff who witnessed the incident would be offered counselling as Royal Mail offers a counselling service to all its employees.

As a result of the incident, mail was delivered two hours late today in the HG1 to HG5 postal areas, which include Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Summerbridge and Pateley Bridge. The police spokesman said: "Royal Mail obviously apologises for this disruption."