Fife school evacuated as second 'bomb hoax’ threat sent
Schools across Fife have been hit by another ‘hoax bomb threat’ which has seen many evacuated across Scotland.
It is the second time in less than one month that schools have been targeted.
In October, a hoax email which claimed there were explosive devices in hundreds of schools across the country was sent to one in Fife. At that point all schools were closed for the autumn holidays.
This morning there has been fresh disruption to classes, and there are reports schools in Fife, Edinburgh, Tayside and Perth and Kinross and beyond have been temporarily evacuated on Wednesday morning. Pupils and staff at Leslie Primary School were evacuated but have returned to the building. All schools have also have undertaken a sweep of their buildings.
Kevin Funnell, service manager with Fife Council, said: "We are aware that a number of schools received an email containing a bomb threat this morning.
"As a precaution, schools have followed established procedures and Police Scotland has been informed. At this stage there is no information to suggest there is a credible threat.
"The safety and wellbeing of pupils, staff and visitors remains our priority. We are working closely with Police Scotland and will continue to keep schools updated as further information becomes available."
Police Scotland confirmed the matter was being investigated.
A spokesperson said: “On Wednesday, November 11, threatening messages were sent to a number of schools in Scotland and across the UK.
“These messages were immediately assessed and are being treated as hoaxes. Our enquiries have established that there is nothing to suggest that they represent a credible threat or that there is any wider threat to the public.
“We understand how distressing messages of this nature can be for pupils, parents, carers and school staff, and the concern they can understandably cause.
“Our advice is that there is no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails. They have been sent widely to distribution lists across the UK and Northern Ireland and our assessment remains that they do not represent a credible threat.
“Police Scotland’s Cyber and Fraud Unit is carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the source of the messages, and officers continue to liaise with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally.”