A TEENAGER has appeared in court in connection with a bomb alert in Banff last Friday.
Connor Ward (19) is charged with breaching section four of the Explosives Substances Act, which covers making or being in possession of an explosive, and acting in a threatening or abusive manner which would cause fear and alarm.
Ward appeared in private at Peterhead Sheriff Court and made no plea or declaration.
The case was continued for futher examination and Ward was remanded in custody.
Dozens of police and ambulance staff and navy bomb disposal experts were involved in the incident, which saw residents within a 100-metre radius evacuated from their homes as a precautionary measure and given temporary accommodation at Banff Academy.
The streets shut down - Carmelite Street, Reid Street, Bridge Street, Church Street, Water Lane, Crown Court and Old Market Place - were back to normal the following morning.
Businesses, such as Tesco and the Famous Spotty Bag Shop, which had also been forced to close, were open again on Saturday.
The operation was controlled from Banff Police Station a few hundred yards from the incident.
Chief Inspector Derek Hiley said: "Our initial priority was to ensure the continued safety of the community until we were satisfied that there is no risk in allowing the residents of the Low Shore area to return to their homes.
"We would like to thank the local community for their assistance and understanding at what has been a particularly disruptive time for them."
