LONDON, June 23: British police say army bomb disposal experts have been called to a mosque after a suspicious item was found.

West Midlands Police say that around 40 homes near the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Walsall, near the central England city of Birmingham, were evacuated overnight as a precautionary measure. The force said officers were alerted to the suspicious item on Saturday night.

Investigators were taking evidence outside the mosque Sunday, and parts of the nearby area were cordoned off.

It was not immediately clear what the item was or what potential dangers it posed. No injuries were reported. Mosques and Muslim communities in Britain have been on alert since a British soldier was killed in London in May.—AP