CHILDREN were evacuated from a Bournemouth school this morning after a “bomb scare”.
Pupils and staff at Talbot House Preparatory School in Firs Glen Road, Winton, were ordered to leave the building shortly before 10am on Thursday morning (November 30).
A large 999 response rushed to the school and cordoned off much of Firs Glen Road and Frederica Road.
Police sent out sniffer dogs to scour the premises, searching for any threat, while the fire and ambulance service were on standby.
Parents were seen collecting their children from the school and staff members were seen walking other pupils down the road.
Eventually, the response was stood down after a thorough search found no cause for concern.
One woman, who asked not to be named, said: “All I know from the headteacher is that it is a bomb scare.
“I’ve been told that all the pupils are safe, though.
“There was an element of anxiety [when you see all the emergency services around] as you don’t know for sure if it’s safe or not.
“But as time goes on you start to relax a bit more.”
Meanwhile, Paul Davis, who was up a ladder working on a house opposite, said: Police came rushing around at about 10am and then all of a sudden the road was closed off.
“There has been parents picking up their children from the school all morning since.”
A Dorset Police spokesman said the force were called to a security threat at a Winton school at 9.36am on Thursday.
He added: “School staff made the decision to evacuate pupils and officers attended to carry out a search of the premises as a precaution.
“A thorough search has been completed, nothing of concern has been located and emergency services will be resuming from the scene.
“We would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding during this incident.
“An investigation into this matter is ongoing, with support from the school.”
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We received a call at 9.58am this morning about an incident on Firs Glen Road, Bournemouth.
"A crew from Redhill Park are currently in attendance, assisting police with the incident."
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