A PLANT IN Wales that manufactures the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was evacuated after a suspicious package was sent to the site this morning.

In a statement to TheJournal.ie, the company that runs the factory Wockhardt UK said that an investigation into the object had concluded and staff were now being allowed back into the facility. 

There were no details on the object but a spokesperson said that it was ‘made safe’ by a bomb disposal unit. 

The contents of it have been taken away for analysis, a spokesperson for North Wales Police said in a statement, and police will carry out an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

North Wales Police had cordoned off the area shortly after receiving the report of the incident at 10.41 this morning. 

Manufacturing had to be temporarily suspended during the evacuation but that this had no impact on the production schedule of the vaccine, the spokesperson said. 

“We can now confirm that the package was made safe and staff are now being allowed back into the facility,” they said. 

“We are grateful to the authorities and experts for their swift response and resolution of the incident.”

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford thanked the security personnel who investigated the suspicious object. 

“This highlights the vital role they play in keeping us all safe,” he said in a tweet.