Shoppers were evacuated from a supermarket for two hours yesterday over a bomb scare sparked by a child’s toy.
Scores of shoppers were evacuated from Sainsbury’s on Garthdee Road just before 9am after a suspicious package was found in its warehouse.
One employee described it as an electronic “device” with a red flashing light.
However, it is understood that the item was a toy which had been left at the back of a high shelving unit, and may have been forgotten about during a stock check.
During the incident a police cordon stretched around the perimeter of the shop’s grounds, with police and firefighters from North Anderson Drive standing guard at the entrance to the car park.
The neighbouring Garthdee Road was blocked between its junctions with the David Lloyd gym and Asda in order to keep passing motorists safe.
Paramedic and incident response units were also in attendance.
It is not thought that the force’s “bomb squad” from Edinburgh was drafted in to help with the incident.
One Sainsbury’s employee, who did not want to be named, said: “We thought it was just a drill when the fire alarm went off.
“We were all laughing and joking at first but then we realised something serious was going on.”
Following the evacuation, staff were taken to the nearby B&Q store where they spoke to police about the discovery.
At approximately 10.50am, a number of Sainsbury’s workers, police officers and firefighters were seen entering the building.
They left around five minutes later, with one officer carrying a box which was placed in the back of a police car.
The emergency services then began to leave the scene, with Sainsbury’s members of staff allowed back into the building by 11.05am.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “The store has now reopened.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused to customers.”
A police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that the suspicious package found at Sainsburys at Garthdee posed no risk to the public and there is no criminality.”