Bomb squad called to investigate 'suspicious parcel'

Bomb squad called to investigate 'suspicious parcel'
Dec 31 2009 By Ian Proctor

BOMB squad officers were called to Greenford Mail Centre after a suspect parcel was spotted.

The sorting office in Green Park Way was evacuated at 10.45am yesterday when the authorities were alerted.Watch commander Chris Frewin from Northolt Fire Station told the Gazette: "We got called to reports of a chemical leaking from a parcel. Someone had walked past a mail bag and smelt a funny smell.[/b[b]]( Redbag on the curries most likely)"Colleagues in hazardous material suits were there and we had to ask a rapid response team to come down.

"They have CBRN (chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear) detection equipment - a scanner - and they scanned the bag and confirmed there wasn't anything leaking.

"The bomb squad came down with sniffer dogs to confirm it wasn't an IED (improvised explosive device) either.

"It turns out the mail bag had come from a Royal Mail van that had caught alight several months ago and it was just a bit of dust and rubbish from that.

"It took 3 1/2 hours to establish that it was nothing because we had to evacuate the building and invoke our cordon procedures."

Two fire engines from Northolt went along with two from Wembley and three other specialist engines.