Controlled explosion carried out on Edinburgh Leith Links

Police confirmed had removed 'material' from a flat

Police officers have reportedly carried out a controlled explosion on Leith Links green in Edinburgh, after ‘material’ was removed from a nearby block of flats, according to Police Scotland.

Residents were evacuated from Persevere Court, while police and army officers searched a flat as part of an ongoing operation, the Edinburgh Evening News reported.

An area of North Junction Street was closed off from North Leith Mill earlier today. Residents were warned that they may be evacuated from their properties and were told to stay away from their windows.

Cordons have now been lifted in the area, and residents have been allowed back to their homes, according to the newspaper.

A police Scotland spokesman added that the material was destroyed by the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

33-year-old Josie Balfour told the newspaper at the time of the controlled explosion: “It was an unusually large section of road to close off, particularly on a Friday afternoon when people are heading home. There was a significant delay.”

The incident comes a week after the Fidra Court, in the Muirhouse area of the city, was evacuated as bomb disposal crews investigated the discovery of “suspicious items," the newspaper reported.