School lab that sparked fears of nuclear explosion

A REMNANT of past science lessons, the boxes had lain undisturbed in a school cupboard for more than a decade.

Until last night that is when the principal of the Regent Language Training School stumbled across them as he sorted out IT equipment – and noticed they were marked as "radioactive material".

Rupert Lezemore, 37, wasted no time in raising the alarm. Within minutes of the 999 call at 7.02pm, the emergency services descended on the West End in droves and a national security operation was under way.

At its height, there were eight fire engines and 28 firefighters, specialist ambulances and police vans crowding onto Chester Street.

The street was sealed and – suspecting a major terrorist incident could be under way – the world's media began besieging the control room at Lothian and Borders fire brigade.

As residents – and reporters – waited for the drama to unfold, a representative from Torness power station arrived to examine the two boxes.

Luckily for Edinburgh, he soon identified the "radioactive sources" as learning tools which had been used in the science labs when the building had been owned by a high school in the early 1990s.

There was no danger of contamination outside the containers and shortly before midnight – around four hours after the drama began – the all clear was given and the packages were taken away to be disposed of by experts.

An investigation into the incident was under way today, led by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Principal Mr Lezemore said: "We were sorting out our IT equipment and I came across the packages in a cupboard in the hallway.

"I saw the radioactive signs on them and I thought that perhaps this is not something we should have.

"We called the Scottish Environment Protection Agency who took over and looked into the packages.

"Apparently they contained the sort of thing that you would expect to find in any high school science lab of the time."

As the story made headlines on rolling TV news channels, residents, workers and passers-by watched the incident unfold with a sense of disbelief.

Frank Smith, 53, who lives on nearby Manor Place, said he was startled to see the response while out for an evening stroll.

He said: "I've never seen anything like this, but it's reassuring to know that when these things happen the authorities take it very seriously. It's strangely pleasing to know they've taken so much action and makes me confident that if there is a problem they'll be ready for it."

Sign writer Bartosz Kruszewski, 24, whose top-floor Manor Place flat overlooks the scene, said he learned more about the incident from watching television than from the police or fire brigade. He said: "At about 7pm all these emergency vehicles rushed in. We had no idea what was going on and it was quite frightening.

"When we heard on the news that it was a radioactive package we could not believe what we were seeing.

"We watched the whole thing unfold and I'm glad they seemed to have sorted it out, it's not the kind of thing you expect to happen."

And Italian student Manuel Martilenno, who was walking past the scene as the emergency services began to stand down, said: "I was walking up here with my girlfriend and she joked that maybe it was a bomb – so I guess we weren't too far off."

There was no room for jokes earlier in the evening, however, as the National Arrangements for Incidents Involving Radiation, designed to react swiftly to any radioactive alert, was launched.

The flashing lights of emergency vehicles and diversions were evident from hundreds of yards away, and evening traffic struggled to find alternative routes as confusion took hold.

Dozens of radiation suits were laid out on the pavement in case the worst happened and a decontamination shower was also set up.

Police officers on horseback and reels of fire hose blocked access to the scene, although residents living in adjacent blocks to the school were not evacuated. TV cameras, radio stations, photographers and a clutch of reporters circled the scene. Lawyer and resident Gillian Peebles said: "I was just coming back from the Filmhouse and am pretty surprised to see all this.

"I don't think there's been this much carry on since election day."

One resident of Chester Street, whose flat is in the next block to the school, said he was unsure what was developing.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: "We weren't told to get out the flats or anything and it all happened very quickly.

"We've not had much in the way of information from any of the emergency services." And a cleaner on her way to work at one of the many nearby offices in the area added: "I've just turned up to see all this. We've no idea what's going on or what to think."

Around four hours after the operation was launched, fire service group manager Steven Sansbury announced the all clear.

He said: "The representative from Torness power station has informed me that there are two boxes within the building – one containing one radioactive source and one containing three radioactive sources.

"These sources are sealed within the boxes and there is absolutely no contamination outwith the containers.

"He thinks that they're ex-school science lab sources used for small experiments that we all did when we were at school, so there's no contamination.

"We believe an employee within the school found these samples in a cupboard and we believe they've been there since 1994.

"He saw that they were radioactive substances and then it all started off from there."

Mr Sansbury said police rolled out a national plan of action for radiation incidents.

"We assume the worst case scenario and work back from that. It's a big example of inter-agency co-operation and everything went fine.

"Had it been a bigger incident – thankfully it wasn't – everything was here ready to go."

Crews at full stretch as 999 calls ring around Capital

EDINBURGH'S fire crews were stretched to breaking point last night as several major incidents took place in the city within a few hours.

In the worst fire, a derelict block of flats was set alight in Niddrie in a blaze that kept firefighters busy throughout the night.

The 999 call was received just minutes after the West End radioactive alert at 7.02pm, meaning firefighters had to leave the scene at Chester Street.

Fire crews worked for five hours to bring the Wauchope Road fire under control, before handing over to a relief crew just before midnight who then spent several hours damping down.

It was the second major blaze at the derelict estate in the last few days, with the Newcraighall fire crews spending another 12 hours there last week.

This morning the fire service said the building had partially collapsed and there was a possibility it would have to be pulled down.

The blaze was preceded by a smaller fire only 100 yards down the road at Niddrie Mains Road when a pile of rubbish had been set alight. It took firefighters around 45 minutes to put out that blaze.

The frantic night had begun around 6.20pm with a fire at a house in New Street, Prestonpans, with persons suspected inside.

Two fire crews arrived from Musselburgh and Tranent fire stations, but were unable to account for all the flat's occupants so a third appliance was called in from Newcraighall.

It took six firefighters with breathing apparatus to search the premises, and once the area was given the all-clear the three crews worked to bring the fire under control.

The Newcraighall crew was soon diverted to help with the massive incident at the language school.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders fire control said: "Last night was an exceptionally busy night. We had around 50 calls between 6pm and midnight alone, and several of them were to major incidents.

"By contrast, Wednesday night was extremely quiet, with just ten calls. We were so quiet we even had to check the phones to make sure they were working properly. It just goes to show that you can't predict when and where these incidents will occur."

And fires were not the only reason for the busy night, as the control room also had to deal with dozens of calls from the media about the radiation alert.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Group Manager Jim Fraser said: "I have been inundated with calls from news agencies around the world, many of whom were under the impression that this was part of a terrorist incident."