Essex University evacuated as new suspicious package found

Follows evacuation at University of Glasgow after security alert raised

Several buildings at the University of Essex were evacuated on Wednesday after a suspicious package was reported.

Officers cordoned off much of the campus and the bomb squad was called to the scene.

Essex Police later tweeted that the package "posed no risk to the public" and lifted the cordon.

It comes after Edinburgh’s Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) headquarters and several buildings at the University of Glasgow were also evacuated on Wednesday after police were called to reports of suspicious packages.

On Tuesday, explosive devices were mailed to Waterloo station, Heathrow Airport and London City Airport in what police believe was a coordinated campaign. Images of the parcel bombs suggested they had been sent from the Republic of Ireland, with false sender’s addresses in Dublin written on the outside.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: “Following an investigation we have established that the package posed no risk to the public. We thank you for your support and patience as we managed this incident.”

Essex University tweeted: “All buildings at our Colchester Campus are now open. If you’ve already made your way home, we’ll see you back on campus tomorrow.

“If not, you should now be able to access your offices and your belongings. All teaching events remain cancelled for today.”

The package at RBS Gogarburn House in Edinburgh was later found to be a false alarm.

A controlled explosion took place in Glasgow after police blocked off several roads across the university campus.

Police had advised the buildings should be closed for the rest of the day but no further information was available on the nature of the package.