A 48-year-old man has been arrested after a suspicious device was found near a polling station in North Lanarkshire.
The device – which was later found to be “non-viable” – was discovered on the ground floor of Glen Tower flats in Motherwell at around 1am on Thursday,
police said.
A community room in the building was due to be used as a polling station.
Residents in the building were evacuated following the discovery, while explosive ordinance experts were called to the scene to examine the device.
They later carried out a controlled explosion. GLEN TOWER, MOTHERWELL UPDATE- MAN ARRESTED Police in Motherwell have arrested a 48-year-old man in connection with a suspicious device found on the ground floor of Glen Tower flats, Motherwell around 1am on Thursday, 12 December, 2019. Enquiries are ongoing.— Lanarkshire Police (@Lanarkshire_Pol) December 12, 2019People who were registered to vote at Glen Tower have been told to attend an alternative polling station at Knowetop Primary School, which is less than a mile away. Chief Inspector Mark Leonard said: “Officers responded to reports of a suspicious device on the ground floor of Glen Tower flats, Motherwell, around 1am on Thursday December 12 2019.
“A cordon was placed around the building and residents within the cordon were evacuated for safety reasons,” he continued.
“Police liaised with Explosive Ordnance Disposal staff to examine the item and a controlled
explosion was carried out as a precaution.
“It was found to be a non-viable device.”
Meanwhile, Leonard said the police were working with North Lanarkshire Council to return people to their homes in the tower.