Dozens of homes were evacuated and a neighbourhood placed in lockdown yesterday as Army bomb disposal experts dealt with a suspect package found outside a north-east supermarket.
Police, fire crews and a specialist explosives unit from Edinburgh were all sent to Fraserburgh following the discovery yesterday morning.
The town’s Buchan Road was sealed off to traffic and pedestrians amid fears the foil-wrapped package dumped outside the Co-op store was a home-made bomb.
Nearby residents who saw the object before being escorted from their homes said it was no bigger than a cereal box, with wires coming out of it and a battery positioned on top.
The Army bomb disposal unit from Edinburgh arrived at the site around 5.30pm and used a remote-controlled robot to detonate the device in an explosion heard from several streets away.
Police later confirmed the package had not contained any hazardous material and said an investigation into the incident was now under way.
A spokesman said: “The police cordon was stood down at 7pm and residents and businesses have now returned to their properties.
“The priority for Police Scotland is always to maintain the safety of the public and in doing so this incident will have disrupted many.
“Police Scotland would like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding during this incident. The public should be reassured that at no time was there any risk associated with this incident.”
The alarm was raised around 11.45am after a local gardener came across the package on the pavement next to a drainpipe.
The shocked 40-year-old said he was heading into the Co-op to buy his lunch when he saw the object lying on the ground.
Yesterday the man, who did not want to be named, said: “A guy who normally goes into the shop at the same time as me saw it too. We both had a look at it and thought it didn’t look right.
“I was going to phone the police but thought I would go in and speak to the shop manager first.
“He came out then phoned the police.”
The father-of-two said he was alarmed when he saw the suspicious package because it looked like a bomb.
He said: “From a distance it looked like a square package wrapped in foil. It wasn’t until I got up close to it and saw all the wires – you just didn’t know whether it was going to go off.
“It was a silver package, like something you would wrap your sandwiches in, with a AA battery on the top. And it had two nails sticking out either side. Who knows what was inside it.”
Police arrived at the Co-op a short time later and evacuated all staff from the store.
Following initial investigations the road was cordoned off with police tape while an officer stood guard.
Firefighters were also called to the scene and were on standby until the bomb disposal experts arrived.
The Co-op Food store did not reopen. The shop’s manager, who was helping police officers with CCTV footage taken from outside the store, declined to comment last night.
Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.