A CONTROLLED explosion was carried out after alarmed staff at an Essex post office found a suspect package.Army bomb disposal teams were sent to the Halstead sorting office in High Street yesterday at 10am after a parcel containing batteries which had leaked sparked an alert.
A CONTROLLED explosion was carried out after alarmed staff at an Essex post office found a suspect package.
Army bomb disposal teams were sent to the Halstead sorting office in High Street yesterday at 10am after a parcel containing batteries which had leaked sparked an alert.
The sorting office and a next door business were both partly evacuated and cordoned off by police while specialist army teams went to the scene.
The High Street was also closed for less than ten minutes while the explosion was carried out in an outside area.
A spokesman for Essex Police said officers had arrived at the post office and after liaising with staff they isolated the package and contacted the army bomb disposal unit.
He said officers had “taken a cautious approach as public safety was our priority.”
It was later found the package contained batteries which had overheated and then leaked and police spoke to the intended recipient of the parcel who supported their actions.
A spokesman for the Royal Mail said deliveries had been slightly delayed due to the restricted access to the sorting office.
He added staff had followed proper procedure after becoming concerned about the package.
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