Man arrested after suspect item led to tower block evacuation
A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a “suspect item” found during a investigation into a man’s death led to the evacuation of a tower block in West Dunbartonshire.
Residents of Overtoun Court in Clydebank were evacuated on Monday night when an item was discovered by officers searching the property
Police Scotland said a bomb squad carried out a controlled explosion on the “device”.
Residents, who spent the night in Dalmuir community centre or nearby hotels, have been allowed to return to their homes.
Emergency services were dispatched to the tower block just after 13:00 on Monday and nearby Dalmuir train station was closed, causing cancellations to trains.
ScotRail said the station had now reopened with services running as scheduled but warned services may be subject to delay, alteration or cancellation.
Police remain at the scene but BBC Scotland News understands the remaining cordon is likely to be lifted later on Tuesday morning.
The entrance to the block is now open with some residents already returning to their homes after spending the night in temporary accommodation.
Forensics officers have been in the area since the unexplained death of the 58-year-old man on 17 October.
Residents of the 15-storey block were told to leave their homes as quickly as possible on Monday after the suspect item was found and the area was cordoned off.
It is not known how many people have been evacuated. Police Scotland said there “was nothing to suggest” the suspect item was linked to the death.
The nearby Dalmuir community centre served as a rest centre with some residents spending the night in a hotel.
Police Scotland said the decision to evacuate the tower block was taken as a precaution following the discovery of the suspect object.
The property was declared safe at 02:30.
Ch Supt Gary I’Anson said: “I would like to extend my thanks again to the local community for their patience as we dealt with this incident.
“I understand the inconvenience it will have caused and I am grateful for your cooperation.”
A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “We are fully supporting residents who have been evacuated from their home as a result of this incident and continue to liaise with relevant services.”