Probe launched after firearm found in wood

An investigation is under way after a firearm was found at Scone Wood. A heavy police presence was reported in the Stormont Road area of the town on Sunday afternoon.

Locals told of seeing firearms and forensics officers parked at the western end of the street, along with a police dog unit.

One man who lives locally said: “They were there from around 4.30pm to 7.30pm.

“I saw them carrying out a brown evidence bag, then put that into a box and into the back of one of the cars.

“It’s quite unusual for the police to be here, especially this area.

“I’ve stayed here for 14 years and I’ve not seen anything like that.

“Nothing like this really happens in Scone.”

Another nearby resident said: “I saw police cars and did think, ‘Oh there’s three cars, something must be happening in the woods’.

“This end of the street is very quiet, nothing goes on.

“There is a lot of dog walking in that part of the woods. There are never usually any problems here.

“The neighbours have all been talking about it.”

A retired couple saw the police as they returned from a game of golf.

The man said: “There were two officers walking at the top of the road with two people and a dog. The other two were just wearing normal clothes.

“Then when we got to the corner here we saw the police parked up, that would have been around 6pm.

“The neighbours have all been talking about it but nobody seems to know anything about it.”

Another woman said: “It’s very quiet about here, never any carry-on.

“Despite it being a big main road it’s a quiet part of the neighbourhood, generally speaking, so it was a bit of a shock to see the police.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a firearm was found within Scone Wood at around 4pm on Sunday.

“It was safely recovered and inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”

INVESTIGATION: Police presence at Scone Wood, where the firearm was found, included a dog unit.