Man arrested after bomb scare leads to controlled explosion at Wrexham vaccine plant
A man from Kent has been arrested after a suspicious package was sent to a factory helping to make the Covid vaccine.
Police cordoned off roads on Wrexham's Industrial Estate when the alarm was raised by the staff at the Wockhardt UK plant yesterday.
The plant was evacuated and production of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine temporarily halted.
Army experts from the Royal Logistics Corp Bomb Disposal Unit sent a robot into the site and a controlled explosion was carried out.
Today police said a 53-year-old Chatham man had been detailed after raids on two addresses.
"As part of ongoing enquiries which are being carried out by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, pre-planned warrants took place at addresses in Luton Road and Chatham Hill, Chatham, on Thursday morning," a statement said.
"A 53-year-old man from Chatham has been arrested on suspicion of sending the packages and remains in custody as enquiries continue.
"There is no evidence to suggest there is an ongoing threat."
A statement from Wockhardt UK which employs around 400 people, in Wrexham. said, “We are grateful to the authorities and experts for their swift response and resolution of the incident."
The global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company provides fill-and-finish services for the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine – the final stage of putting the vaccine into vials.
