Town Hall evacuated over 'suspicious package' in Ripley

Emergency services were called to the Amber Valley Borough Council building

Author: Gavin RutterPublished 9th Jul 2024
Last updated 9th Jul 2024

A Derbyshire town Hall was evacuated earlier after a suspicious package was reported to police.

Emergency services were called to the Amber Valley Borough Council building in Ripley just after 9.40am this morning.

Derbyshire Police confirmed that the evacuation was carried out 'as a precaution', with a security cordon put in place, and representatives from all three emergency services in attendance.

Police say the package was examined and no suspicious contents found.

Staff have now returned to the building.

Derbyshire Police said: "An investigation has...been launched into how the package arrived at the Town Hall.

"We would like to thank everyone affected for their patience and cooperation while work was carried out to keep people safe."

A spokesperson for Amber Valley Borough Council said: "It's obviously a relief to know that test results of the suspicious package have come back clear and that neither council staff nor the wider community were at risk. All staff have now been authorised to return to the building."

"We would nevertheless like to thank the emergency services for their exemplary response to the incident, ensuring that all staff and members of the public remained safe at all times."

"We are unable to comment further at this stage while the police continue to conduct their investigation."

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