Bomb squad called out for ‘fancy dress’

 Wellingborough town centre was closed off yesterday as a bomb disposal squad was called in to destroy a “suspicious package” which turned out to be a discarded costume.

A 330ft cordon was put in place in the Northants town, roads were shut and shops evacuated as the RAF explosive ordnance disposal team attended.

A resident posted a photograph online, which she claimed shows a phone strapped to a silver device discarded in a public bin.

A separate photograph shows a man dressed as a “suicide bomber” at a Christmas party, wearing an identical device. Police refused to say if the incident involved a fake bomb.