A north-east engineering firm has been hit by another bomb scare.
Emergency services and bomb disposal experts were called to Score Group’s headquarters in Peterhead yesterday after a suspect package was found by staff.
The Press and Journal understands the device was very similar to another sent to the subsea engineering giants in June after Score boss Charlie Ritchie spoke out against Scottish independence.
The alarm was raised by staff at around 11.30am yesterday, and police officers and fire and ambulance crews raced to the scene.
They were joined by Police Scotland’s area commander, Chief Inspector Elaine Logue, as well as plain-clothes officers, a unit from the Scottish Ambulance Service’s national risk and resilience unit and another team from the emergency support unit.
The operation to make the area safe stretched long into the night as a Royal Navy Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was called up from the central belt to dismantle the device.
The team arrived at 7pm and spent more than two hours analysing the package.
Last night a police spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that the package sent to Score Europe in Peterhead today has now been made safe and recovered for investigation.
“The device did not present a risk to the public. Police Scotland would like to thank the community for their patience whilst the incident was dealt with.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said a major incident expert was at the scene to liaise with the bomb disposal team, but crews were not required.
“We were there but we left, it’s in the hands of the police,” she said.
An ambulance spokeswoman confirmed its specialist response team was also on standby at Score Europe, but had not been required to assist.
Score deputy managing director Conrad Ritchie – son of Charlie – was at the site throughout the day, helping to coordinate the operation.
Mr Ritchie declined to comment but a Score spokesman said: “There was no disruption on site and nobody was at risk.”
No one was evacuated from the area. All of the emergency service vehicles which attended the scene entered the site through a goods entrance on Peterhead’s South Base Road.
Despite significantly increased security at the gate, the Press and Journal understands business inside the compound was able to carry on as normal.
Investigating officers have urged anyone with information about the incident to contact Police Scotland immediately.
Charlie Ritchie claimed several bomb threats were made after he campaigned for a No vote in last month’s independence referendum.
A bomb disposal team was called in to handle a bag stuffed with mechanical parts found at the valve manufacturing workshop at the rear of Score’s main building during the June scare.
No signs on Score property were vandalised and Mr Ritchie was heckled and described as a “Nazi” by audience members at a public debate in the lead-up to the independence vote.