Yahoo News Police blow up 'suspicious' car outside station - then realise it had been parked there by fellow officers
Police blew up an unattended car outside a station, not realising that it had been parked there by the force's own officers.
Bomb disposal experts were called to what was described as a "suspicious incident" when the vehicle was discovered unoccupied outside Workington police station in the early hours of Thursday.
Following the controlled explosion, it later emerged that other police officers had parked the vehicle there after the owner had been taken ill elsewhere in the town.
Cumbria Police apologised to the owner of the silver Vauxhall Corsa for the mix-up, which it blamed on an "internal communication error".
We have made contact with the owner of the vehicle, explained the situation and have apologised to him
Cumbria Police
A police spokesman said that the officers on overnight duty had become concerned around "suspicious objects" in the vehicle, which were at the time unexplained.
As a precaution the station was evacuated and a 100-metre cordon was put in place before a small controlled explosion took place shortly after 8am.
Explaining the blunder, he added: "Due to an internal communication error, officers dealing with this morning's incident were not aware of this and their actions were conducted, and prioritised, with the safety of the public in mind.
"Following the controlled explosion, the vehicle was searched and the suspicions were negated."
Inspector Ashley Bennett said: "The constabulary is not complacent regarding incidents of public safety which we take very seriously.
"We would like to thank the public for the patience shown this morning as we dealt with an incident that was treated as suspicious and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
"We have made contact with the owner of the vehicle, explained the situation and have apologised to him.
"The officers who dealt with this morning's incident did so with public safety in mind and followed the appropriate procedures in respect to an unoccupied suspicious vehicle.
"The constabulary will review this incident and will take on board any learning."
