British police say suspicious package linked to dissident republicans is a hoax

Updated: 2.22pm

POLICE IN THE UK have dismissed the discovery of a suspicious package in a fire station in the east of England as a hoax.

An area of central Beford was cordoned off and rail services nearby were suspended this morning after Bedfordshire’s fire service headquarters received a package with a Northern Ireland postmark and containing, what the Financial Times reported was a recognised republican code word.

However a spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police told TheJournal.ie that reports of the package being linked to dissident republicans were “wide of the mark”.

The spokesperson added that all services are back to normal.

BBC News reports that the the cordon has now been removed and all roads and rail lines in the area have reopened.

Although there have been security alerts in the London in recent weeks, owing to the Queen’s historic visit to Ireland recently, dissident republicans have not succeeded in delivering an explosive device to mainland Britain since 2001.