TAYSIDE POLICE and personnel from the Edinburgh-based Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit descended on a vacant property in the small village of Gateside, near Forfar, yesterday afternoon after a small quantity of explosives was discovered.

The material was found by a member of the public, who was clearing rubbish from the building, and the police were informed.

EOD staff recovered the material and made it safe before carrying out a detailed search of the building to make sure no further explosives were present.

A spokesman for the police said, “This material appears to have been of some considerable age and was probably left in the building and forgotten about.

“Although items like old wartime hand grenades and bombs do turn up unexpectedly from time to time, this material appears not to have been of military origin and may have been some form of commercial explosive, possible connected with quarrying operations.

“There certainly doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious or sinister about the presence of this material in the vacant building, but we would advise anyone who comes across anything they are not sure about to contact us.”