The army bomb disposal unit was called to a parcel sorting centre in Athlone tonight after a number of suspicious devices were located.
DPD has confirmed that during a routine security and customs check in its distribution centre a suspicious parcel was identified at around 7pm.
The centre was evacuated of staff and a nearby supermarket also closed its doors as Gardai diverted traffic from the scene.
The Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) attended the scene and removed the items for examination and later declared them "not viable."
Staff at DPD subsequently returned to work around 9pm after the location was declared safe.
Des Travers from DPD commented, “The safety of our staff is of utmost importance to us. The response of the emergency services was tremendous and I would particularly like to complement them for averting what could have been a major disaster. DPD Ireland has a contingency plan in place for such an emergency and the various elements of this plan were successfully implemented this evening.”
