Police shut a Stamford Hill road after a lorry driver apparently dumped a massive shipping container in the middle of the street near a synagogue and drove off.

Ravensdale Road was closed an hour ago so cops could make sure the container was not suspicious. They were also pictured checking underneath nearby vehicles.

But they gave the all-clear after the sheepish driver returned to the “Dong Fang” lorry.

He had left the corrugated iron box there temporarily because his lorry load of two containers was too long for him to safely drive round a bend.

A spokesman for volunteer neighbourhood watch group Shomrim told the Gazette the driver had apparently planned to take one container at a time around the corner.

“The police were about to put in a 400m cordon in place and evacuate all local residents,” he added.