Bomb squad called after masked man pushes child’s pram at builders’compound

It is understood the masked man pushed the child’s buggy carrying a plastic bag containing an object with wires against the compound at a building site in Portadown this morning.

Sinn Fein Cllr Paul Duffy said Army Technical Officers attended the scene in the Churchill Park area at around 11am.

He said the area was sealed off for some hours and it was declared a hoax.

It appears that workers from the NI Water Service were working to upgrade water mains in the area and have a compound with toilet facilities and a place to store necessary provisions.

Cllr Duffy said: “A masked man took a child’s pram containing a plastic bag with what appears to be a boiler with wires coming out and pushed it up against the compound.

“The police were called and bomb disposal experts arrived and declared it a hoax,” said Cllr Duffy.

Condemning the incident, the Sinn Fein Cllr said: “The people of this area have enough to deal with regarding the current situation with Coronavirus and certainly don’t need the like of this going on.”

A PSNI spokesperson said: “A security alert in Portadown has now ended.

“Police responded to the report of a suspicious object in the Churchill Park area of Portadown this morning (Friday, March 27th).

“Police along with ATO (Ammunition Technical Officers) attended the scene, examined the object which has now been declared a hoax.”

Inspector Gregory Beckett said: “We would like to thank the local community for their patience. Keeping people safe is of paramount importance.

“We are also appealing to anyone with information that could assist our enquiries to call the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 265 of 27/03/20.

“We would encourage anyone who finds a suspicious object to leave it where it is and report to police immediately.”

“Information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.”