Bomb squad called to nursery security alert
A STREET had to be closed off after nursery staff found a ‘suspicious device’ at their car park.
Staff at Giggle and Grow Day Nursery, on Glodwick Road, Oldham, found what looked like ‘a battery and a switch’ as they were opening up the business at 7.25am yesterday.
After alerting officers, the road was closed off in both directions between Roundthorn Road and Waterloo Street, as Greater Manchester Police’s bomb disposal unit was sent out.
Joanne Cooke, manager at the nursery, told the M.E.N: “Our staff came to open up and they saw something that they thought was suspicious in the car park.
“It looked like a small battery with yellow tape round it and a little switch next to it. It was really small.
“We rang the police and explained what we had found. They told us to evacuate the building and wait outside.
“Police turned up, took a picture of it and sent it off. They said it did look suspicious so they taped everything off.”
Officers sealed off a large stretch of Glodwick Road before bomb disposal experts arrived at the scene.
The device was checked over before police deemed it non-suspicious, and the cordon was lifted by 10.30am
Ms Cooke added: “The bomb squad came out and looked at it, and they told us it was nothing serious.
“They did say to us we were right to ring them and that anything suspicious should be reported.
“Obviously we had to close this morning but we are reopening now and welcoming children as soon as we can.”
In a post on Twitter, a spokesperson
for GMP Oldham said: “Officers were alerted to a suspect package in a car park at Glodwick Road, Oldham, at about 7.25am today (November 17).
“A cordon was put in place but, after examination, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit deemed it non-suspicious.”
It was the second day in a row that police have checked a suspicious item in Oldham.
A huge police cordon was in place outside TK Maxx and Sainsbury’s, on Union Street, as shoppers were evacuated from both stores on Tuesday afternoon. The stores reopened later that day as police deemed the item not suspicious after assessment.