Package scare deemed non-hazardous
A suspect package scare at the Royal Mail sorting offices in York City Centre today has been confirmed as non-hazardous.
The emergency services were called at 10.39am and arrived on the scene in force. Fire services arrived from York, Acomb and Tadcaster, along with police and ambulance services, whilst a regional response unit was also deployed to ascertain the level of danger to the public.
Station Manager, Andy Blades, of the North Yorkshire Fire Rescue Service told Nouse that concern was raised when an unidentified liquid “leaked out of the package and onto some of the workers.”
Blades then explained that “part of their [Royal Mail's] protocol is to perform initial tests [on the substance], these indicated that they should contact the emergency services.”
The substance was deemed safe at 4pm. A spokesperson form the Health Protection Agency identified the substance as 2-butoxyethanol, a chemical used in cleaning products. “There are no significant health risks for individuals exposed to low levels of the chemical for a short period of time.”
The area around the Sorting Office on Leeman Road, near the York Railway Station, was cordoned off and no one was allowed to leave or enter. At 3.45pm, Blades told Nouse that this stalemate was still being enforced, although with a view to gradually ease up on movement restrictions over the next few hours.
A worker at the office, who wished to remain anonymous, told Nouse of her reactions to the scare: “I heard it on the radio before I came from home, apparently someone had opened a suspect package. I heard it was corrosive.”
She went onto point out that “leakages happen all the time. Although I’ve never seen a response on this scale before.”
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