DPD statement after conclusion of incident at Athlone centre

Following the safe conclusion of an incident at its distribution centre in Athlone this evening, in which a suspect device was removed by the Army Bomb Disposal Team, DPD has issued a statement thanking the emergency services for "averting what could have been a major disaster".

The statement said: "During a routine security and customs check within our distribution centre in Athlone this evening, a suspicious parcel was identified. As a precaution, the centre was evacuated and An Garda Siochana took control of the site.

"Due to this disturbance which occurred at 19.00 on Monday, February 14, operations were suspended for a number of hours, however they have returned to normal."

Des Travers commented: “The safety of our staff is of utmost importance to us. The response of the emergency services was tremendous and I would particularly like to compliment them for averting what could have been a major disaster.

“DPD Ireland has a contingency plan in place for such an emergency and the various elements of this plan were successfully implemented this evening.”

See full story on the incident here